DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The second-ranked Embry-Riddle (10-1)men's tennis team maintained its unblemished record against NCAA Division I teams this season with a 7-0 win over Cleveland State (5-8), Thursday at ERAU's Crotty Tennis Complex. Thursday's match marked the second time that ERAU head coach Dave Paschal was competing against his former player, CSU head coach Brian Etzkin, who played for Paschal at Southern Illinois-Carbondale.
“They're a really solid team,” Paschal said of Etzkin's Viking squad. “We played so-so in doubles, but I thought we had a really solid performance from the entire team in singles.”
Playing in their accustomed spot at the top of the doubles lineup, the NAIA No. 1 team of
Patrick Besch and
Adrian Bayh took an easy 8-2 win against Ali Shabib and Nolan Marks. The 22nd-ranked tandem of
Peter Francis and
Simon Felix secured the doubles point for the Blue and Gold with an 8-6 decision at the third doubles spot. At No. 2 doubles, Matt Ford and Yannick Goosens came from behind to top
Chris Freeman and
J.R. Leonik 9-7.
Ranked 14th nationally in singles, Felix easily dispatched Shabib at No. 3 with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout to put the Eagles up 2-0.
David Spennare, playing the sixth singles position, dropped just one game in his straight set (6-0, 6-1) victory over Ford.
The clincher came at the top flight where Freeman, the NAIA's top-ranked player, bested Goossens 6-1, 6-3. The Eagles' fifth point came at the fourth spot where Bayh downed Marks 6-3, 6-2. After an easy 6-0 win in the first set, 12th-ranked Besch battled back from a 6-5 deficit to hold off Kuelken 7-6 with a 7-2 decision in the tiebreaker at No. 2.
After falling behind at No. 5 singles, Francis rallied to win six straight games and take the first set 6-4 against Van der Vloet. Both players battled to a 6-6 tie in the stanza, but it was Francis who had the better of the play in the tiebreaker, breaking the deadlock with a 7-1 tiebreak win to close out the match (6-4, 7-6 (1)).
The Eagles will play the first of two home matches in three days at 1 p.m. on Monday against Oklahoma Baptist.
