Victories at Third Doubles, First Singles Highlight 4-3 Win for Men’s Tennis vs. Le Moyne

Links: Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –  The Merrimack College men's tennis program posted critical victories at third doubles and first singles on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Le Moyne College Dolphins, 4-3, in a Northeast-10 Conference match played at North Andover High School in North Andover, Mass. Merrimack won its sixth straight match and improved its NE10 record to 5-0 with the victory.

The Warriors' third doubles pairing of freshmen Marshall Wood and Alec Mackay Rodriguez rallied from a 6-3 deficit in their tiebreaker, posting an 8-6 win in the breaker to give the hosts the doubles point, which proved crucial as the Dolphins and Warriors split the six singles matches. The contest came down to the top flight, where junior Denis Davydov won his first (6-2) and third (7-5) sets to ensure a Merrimack victory. 

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Le Moyne 3
Records: Merrimack (13-6, 5-0 NE10) | Le Moyne (9-8, 4-3 NE10)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | North Andover High School    

Results
Doubles

	1. Tom Jarry/Philip Blythe (LEM) def. Denis Davydov/Conrad Koch (MERM) 6-4
	2. Jonathan Garcia/Alex Fedorov (MERM) def. Tyler Underwood/Gerardo Wibmer (LEM) 6-3
	3. A. Mackay Rodriguez/Marshall Wood (MERM) def. Xavier Graells/Andres Hernandez (LEM) 7-6 (8-6)

Singles

	1. Denis Davydov (MERM) def. Tom Jarry (LEM) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
	2. Philip Blythe (LEM) def. Jonathan Garcia (MERM) 6-2, 6-2
	3. Andres Hernandez (LEM) def. Alex Fedorov (MERM) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
	4. Conrad Koch (MERM) def. Xavier Graells (LEM) 6-4, 6-3
	5. A. Mackay Rodriguez (MERM) def. Christian Erickson (LEM) 6-2, 6-4
	6. Sven Gopfrich (LEM) def. Paul Weidinger (MERM) 6-3, 6-2

Rapid Recap

• The Warriors also won at second doubles to win the two flights needed to take a 1-0 lead. Junior Alex Fedorov and freshman Jonathan Garcia controlled No. 2 throughout, winning the first match of the day by a 6-3 final. Mackay Rodriguez and Wood started their match strongly, opening a 4-1 lead. The Dolphins' third tandem worked their way back into the contest, however, and forced the tiebreaker that Merrimack ultimately won, 8-6
• The sixth and fourth singles matches finished first, leaving the Warriors in front, 2-1. Le Moyne won at No. 6 in straight sets, but freshman Conrad Koch did the same for Merrimack at No. 4, 6-4 and 6-3
• Second and fifth singles were the next two matches to finish, respectively. Le Moyne won at No. 2, but Mackay Rodriguez completed a perfect day with a sweep (6-2, 6-4) at No. 6 to keep the Warriors with the lead, 3-2. Le Moyne, however, answered back by tying the match for a third time with a win at third singles, leaving the match up to No. 1
• Davydov defeated his foe easily in the first set, 6-2, but the Dolphins' top player recovered with a 6-4 win in the second set to force the third frame. The second-year Warrior prevailed once more, winning his third consecutive three-set match and seventh in as many tries this season to clinch the match for Merrimack

Up Next
Merrimack travels to Adelphi for a midweek contest Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Garden City, N.Y.