ABILENE – A top-line competitor since his arrival at Abilene Christian, junior
Josh Sheehy scored one of most impressive victories of his collegiate career Saturday after defeating 28th-ranked Eduardo Mena of Tennessee Tech, 6-2, 6-4.
Sheehy's victory was his sixth straight following an 0-3 start vs. nationally ranked opposition from SMU, Texas Tech and TCU, and it helped the Wildcats (6-5) complete a 4-0 road trip to Kentucky Lake. ACU's venture to the Kenlake State Resort Park also included a doubleheader sweep of Southern Indiana and a solid 6-1 victory over UT Chattanooga.
"Those were two solid wins we had Saturday," said head coach
Hutton Jones. "Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference last year and went to the NCAAs, and UTC beat a good Austin Peay team prior to our match.
"I felt we accomplished a lot as a team this weekend," he added. "Not only did we go 4-0, but all ten of our guys got match play, and they are getting tougher! They have that willingness to fight, and are okay with the fact that nothing will come easy."
ACU's 4-2 win over Tennessee Tech was a singles-only affair that featured four three-set battles, three of which were won by the Wildcats.
Jonathan Sheehy rallied from a set down at No. 2, while sophomore Niko Moceanu and senior
Paul Michael Domanski each rebounded from a second-set defeat at the No. 3 and 6 positions.
Sheehy's triumph over Mena was his first against a nationally ranked opponent since his freshman year when he topped No. 38 Alec Adamson of 53rd-ranked UC Davis, 7-5, 6-1. The following spring he came within a hair of beating No. 6 Christian Sigsgaard of No. 4 Texas, falling in a third-set super tiebreaker, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 1-0 (10-6).
Mena was Sheehy's second nationally ranked opponent of the spring season. Ferran Calvo – the 17th ranked player on No. 18 Oklahoma – beat Sheehy, 6-1, in the first set but they were tied 3-3 when their match was left unfinished on Jan. 20.
"Josh goes out there and believes he's supposed to beat these guys," said Jones. "He felt comfortable in that match and his confidence bleeds down the court to the other players.
"His level of point vs. Mena was unbelievable. You can tell he has put in the physical work, and there's such talent and relentlessness in the way he competes. Mena was never going to quit, but I saw a point where I knew he couldn't beat Josh."
Only a little while later was ACU back on the court vs. UT Chattanooga, and in this contest the Wildcats won two-of-three doubles contests followed by five singles matches. All but one were in straight sets.
Sheehy and his brother, Jonathan, won together at No. 1 doubles and again at the top two singles positions. Seniors
Henry Adams and
Brad Gleason also were victorious in doubles, while in singles, Moceanu and Domanski earned wins on the No. 3 and 5 courts. Freshman
Joaquin Delgado was triumphant at the No. 6 court.
"We didn't have much of a break in between matches," said Jones, "and if we weren't mature enough, we'd probably have gotten beat. But this was a quality win. We can definitely build on this weekend's results."
The Wildcats return to action Saturday, Feb. 3 with a 9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. home doubleheader vs. Oral Roberts and Air Force.
Abilene Christian 4, Tennessee Tech 2
Jan 27, 2018 at Hardin, Ky. (Kenlake State Resort Park)
Singles competition
1.
Josh Sheehy (ACU) def. No. 28 Eduardo Mena (TNTECH) 6-2, 6-4
2.
Jonathan Sheehy (ACU) def. Wenceslao Albin (TNTECH) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
3. Niko Moceanu (ACU) def. Jorge Alfonzo (TNTECH) 6-3, 6-7, 6-3
4. Marc Mila (TNTECH) def.
Henry Adams (ACU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Gonzalo Garcia (TNTECH) def.
Hunter Holman (ACU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
6. Paul M. Domanski (ACU) def. Arthur Justo (TNTECH) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 5-5
Tennessee Tech 0-5
Abilene Christian 6, Chattanooga 1
Jan 27, 2018 at Hardin, Ky. (Kenlake State Resort Park)
Singles competition
1.
Josh Sheehy (ACU) def. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) 6-2, 6-2
2.
Jonathan Sheehy (ACU) def. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) 6-3, 6-1
3. Niko Moceanu (ACU) def. Luke Plaisted (UTC) 6-4, 5-7, 10-7
4. Jacob Marshall (UTC) def.
Henry Adams (ACU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Paul M. Domanski (ACU) def. Cooper Long (UTC) 6-0, 6-2
6.
Joaquin Delgado (ACU) def. Michael Birnbaum (UTC) 6-1, retired
Doubles competition
1.
Josh Sheehy/
Jonathan Sheehy (ACU) def. Niklas Gerdes/Michael Birnbaum (UTC) 6-2
2. Pablo Llebeili/Luke Plaisted (UTC) def.
Cole Lawson/Paul M. Domanski (ACU) 7-5
3.
Henry Adams/
Brad Gleason (ACU) def. Jacob Marshall/Cooper Long (UTC) 6-4
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 6-5
UT Chattanooga 2-3
