VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The 28th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team sailed past Shenandoah by a 5-1 score on Saturday in the ODAC Semifinals at Virginia Wesleyan University.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Juniors
Evan Erb and
Will Kistler cruised at No. 1 doubles for the first team point of the match, defeating Artem Babaiev and Keith Orr, 8-0. Juniors
Eli Hirshberg and
James Kurani also made quick work of their opponents at No. 3 doubles for an 8-2 win and a 2-0 team lead. Jovan Cirkovic and Dominick Suwak helped the Hornets (14-7) salvage a point at No. 2, 8-6.
Kurani picked up another win in singles play with a quick 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5 for a 3-1 W&L (16-7) lead. On the next court over, first-year
Heys Parker put the Generals one win away from a championship berth with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Anton McCloskey. First-year
Sanjheev Rao then gave W&L the fifth and decisive point of the match, as he downed Orr, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4.
On the top three courts, each General held a one-set lead at the time of the clinching point. Hirshberg had battled back from a 1-5 deficit in the first set to claim a 7-5 win at No. 3, before holding a 3-1 lead in the second. Kistler took his first set at No. 2 by a 7-5 score, as well, and he led 2-0 in the second. Erb also fought for a 7-5, first-set win at No. 1, but trailed in the second, 2-3, against Suwak.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals will appear in the ODAC championship match for the 27th year in a row on Sunday, and will look to hoist the championship trophy for the 14th consecutive season.
UP NEXT:
The ODAC championship match will be played at Virginia Wesleyan University on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., where the Generals will face the the Averett University Cougars.
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.
