LEXINGTON, Va. – The 25th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis bounced back, after falling behind in doubles play, to win 5-of-6 singles matches to defeat Virginia Wesleyan, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at the home courts.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals' (12-5, 6-0 ODAC) lone doubles win came from the tandem of senior
Connor Coleman and first-year
Sanjheev Rao by an 8-5 final at No. 3. Senior
Josh Rassin and first-year
Heys Parker pushed Ole Behrmann and Felix Bevc to 14 total games (6-8), while Carlos and Rafael Rullan were 8-5 victors at No. 2.
W&L roared back in singles play, however, with five straight wins at Nos. 2-6 to clinch the match and add a sixth team point. Rao (6-1, 6-4) and junior
James Kurani (6-1, 6-1) cruised at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, while Coleman got the Blue and White one win away from the clincher with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 6. Parker then secured W&L's fifth and decisive point with a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 win at No. 5.
With the match in hand, junior
Eli Hirshberg fought for a 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 2 to round out the W&L winners. The only singles match undecided after two sets came at No. 1 between Bevc and W&L junior
Will Kistler. Kistler took the first set after a 9-7 tiebreak score, but Bevc claimed set No. 2 in a tiebreak as well (7-4). In the 10-point breaker to close the match, Bevc picked up the Marlins' (9-4, 4-1 ODAC) third point of the day, 10-7.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will take a two-week break from match play before returning to action in Atlanta to face top-ranked Emory on Sunday, April 21, at 1:00 p.m.
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.
