ABILENE - In a battle between two top-ranked regional teams, the sixth-ranked Abilene Christian men's tennis team recorded a 5-4 victory over No. 20 Drury Wednesday night indoors at the Teague Events Center.
The win extended ACU's season-best win streak to a fifth match and lifted its spring record to 13-6, while the Panthers - the No. 1 team in the ITA's Midwest Region - fell to 7-3.
"Drury is a very solid team," head coach
Hutton Jones said, "but I felt the difference was that we were emotionally stronger in crucial moments. This is something we prepare for throughout the season, and tonight it helped us win the match."
Wednesday's match could have gone either way as two doubles matches were decided by two points or less, and three singles matches went to three sets.
But in doubles play, it was the No. 22-ranked team of
Hans Hach and
Nick Plum that slipped past the Midwest Region's No. 2 duo of Andy Blair and Sergio Manzanas, 8-6, and then the tandem of
Alfredo Desiati and Borja Cortes nabbed the pivotal second point in clipping Roman Gonda and Lukas Kriem, 9-8.
Cortes and Desiati improved to 6-2 at No. 2 doubles following their victory, but they've been living on the edge as of late with four of their last five decisions being decided by two points or less.
Hach and Plum, meanwhile, remain undefeated at No. 1 with a 6-0 record.
In singles play, both Hach and Plum were stretched to a third set at the No. 1 and 3 positions before coming back to win.
Hach dropped his first set to No. 31 Andy Blair, 4-6, but then won the next two by scores of 6-3 and 6-2 in capturing his 11th straight match at the top line and improving his season mark to 16-2.
Hach's win also served as the match-clinching point as it gave ACU a 5-1 lead.
After losing 3-6 in the first set to Gonda, Plum came back to take the second set, 6-3, and the third, 6-2. Plum is now 14-3 overall and 8-1 at the No.3 position for ACU.
Cortes was ACU's lone straight-set victor, beating Kriem at No. 2 singles, 7-5, 6-2. The freshman improved to 13-6 with the win and is 3-1 at No. 2 since making his debut there a few weeks ago vs. St. Edward's.
ACU lost its final three singles matches at the No. 4 to 6 positions. Desiati lost in three sets to Manzanas at No.4, while Morris and
Kyle Plum lost in straight sets at No. 5 and 6.
#6 Abilene Christian 5, #20 Drury University 4
Mar 21, 2012 at Abilene, TX (Teague Events Center)
Singles competition
1. #6
Hans Hach (ACUM) def. #31 Blair, Andy (DUMEN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Borja Cortes (ACUM) def. Kriem, Lukas (DUMEN) 7-5, 6-2
3.
Nick Plum (ACUM) def. Gonda, Roman (DUMEN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Manzanas, Sergio (DUMEN) def. #43
Alfredo Desiati (ACUM) 7-5, 3-6, 10-7
5. Volckaert, Nadal J. (DUMEN) def.
Michael Morris (ACUM) 6-3, 6-3
6. Reyes, Jandui (DUMEN) def.
Kyle Plum (ACUM) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #22
Hans Hach/
Nick Plum (ACUM) def. Blair, Andy/Manzanas, Sergio (DUMEN) 8-6
2.
Alfredo Desiati/Borja Cortes (ACUM) def. Gonda, Roman/Kriem, Lukas (DUMEN) 9-8
3. Volckaert, Nadal J./Reyes, Jandui (DUMEN) def.
Kyle Plum/
Michael Morris (ACUM) 8-3
Match Notes
Drury University 7-3; National ranking #20; Regional ranking #1
Abilene Christian 13-6; National ranking #6; Regional ranking #1
Abilene Christian ranked No. 1 in the South Central Region
Drury ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region
