SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – After failing to claim the doubles point in Wednesday's match at Florida Tech at the Panthers' Desoto Tennis Center, the Merrimack College men's tennis team proceeded to prevail in the first four singles matches of the contest to claim a 4-3 victory over the members of the Sunshine State Conference.
Merrimack won matches at first, second, third and fifth singles. All four contests ended in two-set sweeps for the Warriors, with junior
Denis Davydov increasing his singles winning streak to five with a match-clinching victory at the first flight (7-6 (2), 6-0).
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Florida Tech 3
Records: Merrimack (6-5) | Florida Tech (5-4)
Location: Satellite Beach, Fla. | Desoto Tennis Courts
Rapid Recap
- For the first time this week down in Florida, Merrimack did not win the doubles venue. The Panthers won at first doubles, 6-1, but the Warriors' third pairing of freshmen Alec Mackay Rodriguez and Marshall Wood evened the venue with a 6-4 win. Second doubles decided the point, with junior Alex Fedorov and freshman Jonathan Garcia losing in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5)
- Fedorov gained the Warriors some momentum back with a quick win at third singles, 6-2 and 6-2, to even the match at one point apiece. Garcia then gave Merrimack a lead (2-1) with a straight-sets win (6-3, 6-4) at No. 2.
- Rookie Conrad Koch outlasted his opposition at fifth singles in his first set, 7-5, before a 6-3 win in his second game to move the Warriors within a point of the match. Davydov ensured the win, defeating Florida Tech's top player. Four of Davydov's five wins during his current winning streak have come in straight sets
- Both fourth and sixth singles went the distance; Mackay Rodriguez forced a third frame by blanking his opponent at No. 4 in the second set (6-0), while freshman Andre Singer won a tiebreaker in his second set, 7-6 (8), to force a 10-point breaker
Up Next
Merrimack plays its final two matches from Florida tomorrow when the Warriors will face Division II institution Lees-McRae College at 12 p.m. followed by a duel with Division I Saint Joseph's at 7 p.m. Both matches will be played in Orlando, Fla.
