DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The second-ranked Embry-Riddle men's tennis team improved its overall record to 7-1 with a decisive 7-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky. The match, played according to NCAA I rules where the three doubles matches are scored as one point, saw the Blue and Gold sweep all six singles and take two of three doubles contests to hand the Colonels (7-5) their fifth loss of the year.
Embry-Riddle won the doubles point after taking matches at the second and third spots.
Peter Francis and
Simon Felix were the first to finish their doubles matching, topping Parul Verma and Craig Campbell 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.
Chris Freeman and
J.R. Leonik followed with an 8-1 defeat of Hugo Klientovsky and Carles Pons at No. 2, but the Colonels avoided the sweep when Phil Janz and Nik Schroeder held off
Adrian Bayh and
Patrick Besch at the top position.
Felix made quick work of Schroeder at No. 3 singles, downing the EKU senior 6-4, 6-2. Back in the singles lineup for the first time in two weeks, Besch claimed the Eagles' next point with a 7-5, 6-2 defeat of Janz on court two.
The clincher came at the fourth position where Francis bested Verma 6-2, 7-5. The Eagles completed the singles sweep with a trio of three-set victories as Freeman downed Klientovksy 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at the top spot, followed by Leonik's 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over Pons at No. 5 and
David Spennare closed out the match with a 3-6, 6-2, 10-8 win over Campbell.
The Eagles' next match will be at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday when they host NCAA I Belmont at the Crotty Tennis Complex.
