Valdosta, Ga. – It came down to the final singles match as the decider for the second time in less than a week for the sixth-ranked Lynn University men's tennis team, but the Fighting Knights pulled through again to defeat 11th-ranked Columbus St. 5-4 on Sunday in the squad's third match of the weekend.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lynn 5, Columbus St. 4
Records: #6 Lynn (4-3), #11 Columbus St. (5-3)
Location: The VSU Tennis Courts | Valdosta, Ga. (neutral site)
Series: Tied 1-1
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Cougars came out on top in a tight contest at No. 3 doubles to build a 2-1 lead over Lynn heading into singles competition.
- Ethan Itzkovitz and Mehdi Laalej garnered the lone doubles point for the Blue & White, winning 8-5 in the No. 2 match.
- Columbus St. took the top doubles flight, 8-5, and gained the advantage with a tiebreaker victory at No. 3, 9-8 (7-4).
- Lynn quickly fired back at the onset of singles play, posting straight-set victories at the second and third flights over nationally-ranked opponents.
- 46th-ranked Pavel Mojha dropped 48th-ranked Marco Almorin at No. 2 (6-4, 6-3) and Laalej grabbed his second win of the day at No. 3 singles over 43rd-ranked Jorge Vargas (6-0, 6-2).
- Columbus St. tied the score at 3-3 with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the top flight, then jumped back out in front after a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5.
- Jose Porfirio Ordonez knotted the match back up with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph in the No. 6 bout.
- Tied at 4-4, the match came down to the third set of the No. 4 singles contest. Itzkovitz grabbed the opener 6-4, but CSU's Zach Whaanga knotted it up in the second set, 7-5. Ultimately, Itzkovitz prevailed 6-3 in the deciding-third set to secure the 5-4 victory for the Fighting Knights.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Lynn notched its first win over a ranked team this season.
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to their home courts this Saturday, March 5, opening up their conference schedule against Florida Southern at 10 a.m.
