LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior
Evan Erb won twice on Tuesday to reach 100 combined career wins to highlight the 25th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team's 5-1 win over Hampden-Sydney in the ODAC Quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Just like during their regular season matchup this past Friday, W&L (15-7) held a 2-1 lead after doubles play with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Erb and junior
Will Kistler claimed the first team point at No. 1 (8-2), followed by a tiebreaker win at No. 3 (8-7 (5)) from juniors
Eli Hirshberg and
James Kurani. The Tigers (6-14) picked up a point at No. 2, also in a tiebreak, from Thomas Davis and Taylor Fox (8-7 (3)).
Erb cruised at No. 1 singles to give the Generals a 3-1 advantage, as he defeated Dillon Reynolds 6-0, 6-0. Erb produced the same result against McReynolds four days ago to win all 24 games between the two. Additionally, Erb's win to begin singles play marked the 100th of his career across all singles and doubles matches (100-40).
The Generals closed out the Tigers with wins from Kurani and first-year
Heys Parker at No. 5 and 6, respectively. Both players won by 6-4, 6-1 counts.
W&L left little doubt to the team result, as the three unfinished singles matches favored the Generals by a set each and were nearing straight-set wins. Both Hirshberg (6-2, 5-0) at No. 3 and first-year
Sanjheev Rao (6-1, 5-2) at No. 4 were just one game each away from wins when the match ended. Kistler also had control of his opponent at No. 2, leading 6-3, 2-1 when the clinching point occurred.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet fourth-seeded Shenandoah in the ODAC Semifinals on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at Virginia Wesleyan University. The Hornets advanced past Guilford, 5-0, in their quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
