Warsaw, Ind. - The Alma College men's tennis team swept its competition on Sunday (Feb. 25), defeating the University of St. Francis (IN) and Manchester University (IN) by 5-4 margins in non-conference action.
The Scots (5-3 overall) are now on a three-match winning streak and are perfect so far on their Spring Break trip with one match remaining.
How It Happened
- In the match at St. Francis, the No. 1, 5 and 6 singles matches went into match tiebreakers in a dramatic finish.
- St. Francis took a 2-1 lead after doubles action before Alma made its move in the singles competition. Noah Ackerman tied the match with a straight-set win at No. 2 singles, then Brandon Ralston gave the Scots a 3-2 advantage with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles. Tristen Fox put Alma up by a 4-2 margin with a straight-set win at No. 3 singles, including a second-set tiebreak victory, setting up the match's conclusion.
- Luke Van Fleet sealed the victory with a 12-10 win in the match tiebreaker at No. 1 singles. Van Fleet won the first set, 6-3, then fell in a second-set tiebreaker. The Cougars won both matches at No. 5 and 6 singles in match tiebreaks.
- Alma found itself down, 2-1, after doubles against Manchester in the afternoon matchup. Ackerman tied the score at 2-2 with a win at No. 2 singles, then Van Fleet put the Scots up by a 3-2 margin with a straight-set victory at No. 1 singles. Jadon House gave Alma a 4-2 lead with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles before the Spartans captured points at No. 3 and 6 singles to tie the match.
- At No. 4 singles, Ralston sealed the victory with a 10-3 victory in a match tiebreak. He won the first set, 6-2, before dropping the second set, 6-4, setting up the winner-take-all finish.
Noteables
- Noah Ackerman has won his last three matches and is 3-0 this year at No. 2 singles.
- Brandon Ralston has won four straight and is 3-0 at No. 4 singles.
- Luke Van Fleet won his first two matches of the season and is 2-1 at No. 1 singles.
Up Next
The Scots will travel to Defiance, Ohio, for a matchup with Defiance College on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
