LATROBE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's tennis team (6-11, 4-4) secures a 4-3 win in the deciding match over the Saint Vincent Bearcats (14-6, 5-3) in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Quarterfinals. This is the first playoff win for the men's program since Coach Lynch has taken the helm. Additionally, the win snaps a nine-match winless streak for the Presidents against the Bearcats.
The duel showed why there was only one spot difference between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds as the two teams split the opening two doubles matches. Senior captain
Jackson Akers (Logan, W. Va./Logan) and freshman
Colby Peters (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) battled through a close 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles to force the decider. Saint Vincent went on to take the final doubles match and the 1-0 lead into singles play.
W&J flipped the script in the early singles matches. Peters opened the scoring for the Red & Black with a straightforward 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5 singles. Akers also went 2-for-2 on the day with a 6-3, 7-6(2) straight-sets win at No. 2. Additionally, senior captain
Nate Clarke (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) extended the W&J lead to 3-1 with a 7-6(0), 6-4 victory at the No. 3 position.
The Bearcats did not go away and claimed the next two singles points to tie the dual at three. The quarterfinal came down to the No. 6 position. Junior
Nick Bussard (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) battled his way through a marathon of a match that needed all three sets. Bussard clinched the quarterfinal win with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4) victory in a final-set tiebreak.
The Presidents will move on to the PAC Semifinals when they travel to take on the top-seeded Allegheny Gators. The semifinal matches from Meadville are slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday (April 23).
