Even though the year is quickly coming to a close, the Furman Men’s Tennis team is still keeping up the energy. They have extended their winning streak to four matches in the past two weeks.
Against Chattanooga, the ‘Dins finally pulled their first Southern Conference league win on Mar. 29. The victory was 6-1 win on Furman’s home turf at the Mickel Tennis Center. The ‘Dins won the top two double matches to gain the opening point.
The ‘Dins killed Chattanooga in the singles competition, winning five of six matches. Double team juniors Alex Christ and Matt Browne defeated Ankit Chopra and John Peacey, 8-4. Then sophomore Jacob Behal and senior Tyler Droll tromped Roberto Vieria and William Disterdick with a 8-3 victory.
Unfortunately, at flight three, the Mocs recorded a win over sophomore Luke Synn and senior Andrew Mellow. The boys kept the momentum up as they proceeded to their next match against The Citadel.
At Charleston, the ‘Dins swept the board, winning all the matches and recording a 7-0 win against The Citadel.
Coming back home was no different as the boys entertained Appalachian State. The Mountaineers came out strong and beat Furman in an all doubles matches to clinch the opening point.
Furman retaliated with a fiery spirit during the singles play to win five of the matches to achieve the team victory of 5-2.
On April 10 , Furman hosted Samford, who is one of the top competitors in the SoCon league. The Bulldogs had the ‘Dins sweating as they won the first doubles match against Jacob Behal and Tyler Droll, 8-3.
Furman fought back and won the next two double plays with wins from team Joel Cook/Andrew Mellow and Alex Christ/Matt Browne.
In the single plays, Samford led the board with two wins against Alex Christ and Joel Cook. Jacob Behal showed the Bulldogs a game change as he beat Austin Akers, 6-4, 6-3.
But Samford was not ready for Furman to take the lead and defeated Matt Browne, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Furman’s Luke Synn finished his match with a win, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to put the ‘Dins back in the game.
The pressure came down to senior Andrew Mellow as he battled with Zac Dunkle. The match teetered back and forth. Mellow lost the first round 4-6, but tied the match 6-4 during the next round.
Stakes were high as they moved into the third round; Mellow pulled through with a 6-3, which ensured the 4-3 win against Samford.
With a close win under their belt, the Paladins will close out the season with a SoCon tournament in Elon, North Carolina, hoping to continue winning in the upcoming tournament on April 18-20.
