The men's tennis team staged one of the most dramatic wins in Alma tennis history on Wednesday. After falling behind 4-0 the Scots rallied to overcome visiting Albion 5-4. The win improves the Scots record to 4-10 but more importantly 2-2 and a fourth place tie in the MIAA.
The Scots dug themselves an early hole by getting swept in the opening doubles action. The Scots played competitive games at #1 and #2 but were unable to close any of them out falling 8-2 at both flights. At #3 doubles the Scots overcame a 7-4 deficit to force a deciding tiebreaker before falling 9-8(5).
"Albion played well in doubles but we certainly didn't do ourselves any favors in how we played," said Head Coach Chris Sandro. "We knew we could hit with these guys and needed to go put a strong effort in the singles."
The Scots hit the courts in singles play without expectations. Following a quick loss at #3 singles the deficit grew to 4-0. At that point though, it became evident that the team had a chance to win in each of the remaining flights.
The first victory of the day came from So. Logan Beard (Ithaca, MI/Ithaca, MI) at #2 singles. Beard breezed through his second set after winning the first set in a lengthy tiebreak to claim a 7-6(10), 6-0 win.
Second to claim a victory for the Scots was co-captain So. Josh Gove (St. Johns, MI/St. Johns) with a back and forth hard-hitting 6-3, 6-4 win at #1 singles. The remainder of the Scots wins would require three sets.
The Scots claimed the first set at both #5 and #6 before dropping the second. Picking up the third win of the day for Alma was So. Gordon Rumschlag (Romeo, MI/Romeo) who overcame inconsistent play to gather a 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 win at #6.
Tying the match up for the Scots, keeping hopes alive, was senior captainBen Schippers (Traverse City, MI/Traverse City St. Francis) with a 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-3 win at #5.
That left the match in the hands of Fr. Justin Meyer (Warren Woods, MI/Warren Woods Tower). Meyer had dropped his opening set 4-6 before evening the match with a 6-3 second set win. Meyer and his opponent Billy Sessions battled through an epic third set that featured multiple rallies in excess of forty shots. In the end Meyer cashed in on his third match point to claim the final set with a break, 7-5.
The match, which Meyer aptly described as, "the best match of my life," gave the Scots the dramatic 5-4 win.
"This is one of those matches that we won't ever forget," said Sandro. "5-4 wins are rare but to come back from 4-0 is even more special. I'm incredibly proud of our effort and fight today."
The Scots now head to Oberlin, Ohio for the NCAC-MIAA Challenge. The Scots will be in action at 11am and 3pm on Friday and again at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Results
