NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 Score: Piedmont 4, Pfeiffer 3
Match 2 Score: Piedmont 7, Huntingdon 0
Record: Piedmont, 5-3 (2-0 CCS)
DEMOREST, Ga. - On a sunny and cool day in Demorest, Piedmont men's tennis held on to win a 4-3 thriller against Pfeiffer and then Huntingdon.
The Lions closed out a grueling 4-3 win over the Falcons in a match that lasted nearly four hours before dismantling the Hawks in the nightcap, finishing under the lights.
Match 1: Piedmont 4, Pfeiffer 3
In a match that had numerous twists and turns, the Lions prevailed 4-3 over the Falcons as
Charles Parnell was able to close out a win in a hard-fought third set win.
Doubles proved to be a precursor to the rest of the match, with the Lions falling behind a break at No. 1 and No. 3. However, it was a quick break and then a 6-3 win at No. 2 for Piedmont's
Leyton Dunn and
Connor Phelps to ensure the Lions needed to flip just one of the two remaining matches to take the doubles point.
Mark Backeberg and
Simon Johnstone got the decisive win at No. 3, roaring back to win 7-5. Then, with the doubles point already on the board,
Yannick Wassmer Navarro and Parnell delivered a dominant performance in the tiebreak to win 7-6 (2) at No. 1.
Although Piedmont held the lead going to singles, the Falcons responded quickly by taking four of the six first sets.
The Lions took the first singles point as
Bryce VanOrder's opponent was forced to retire due to injury at No. 3.
Shortly after, Wassmer Navarro closed out a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 2 to put the Lions within a point of clinching the win.
Unfortunately, that clinch did not come for a while, as Pfeiffer battled back to win third sets at No. 1, No. 6 and No. 5 to knot the score at 3-3.
That set the stage for Parnell, who had come from behind to win the first set, 6-4, and then lost a tiebreaker in the second (7-5) to force the match to a deciding third.
Parnell was dominant early in the third set, serving for the match at 5-2. However, after he was broken by his opponent, he still had the match on his racket at 5-4, when he was able to close the door to win at No. 4 and move the Lions to 4-3 on the season.
Match 2: Piedmont 7, Huntingdon 0
After the dramatic showdown in the morning, the Lions were dominant from start to finish against Huntingdon, cruising to a 7-0 win to move to 2-0 in conference play.
The win gives the Lions a 10 match CCS winning streak.
Doubles saw a dominant display at No. 3 and No. 1 doubles, with the teams of Backeberg/Johnstone and Wassmer Navarro/Parnell each not losing a single game on the way a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
The freshman duo of
Amir Latipov and
Leyton Dunn also cruised to a 6-3 win at No. 2.
With just No. 1 through No. 3 singles taking the court first, Wassmer Navarro started things off, picking up his fourth overall win of the day, running away with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1.
Then, it was freshman
Horacio Rodriguez who battled through a hard fought first set and then dominated in the second, 7-5, 6-1.
Needing just one more point to clinch the match, VanOrder was a game away, when is opponent was forced to retire at 6-3, 5-2.
Although the win was already in the bank, the Lions did not let up, with Johnstone (6-0, 6-0) and
Artiom Anzhilov (6-1, 6-0) combining to lose only one game at No. 4 and No. 5 singles.
Closing out the evening, Dunn put the exclamation point on the day with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at No. 6.
The win gives Piedmont four in a row heading into its Orlando Spring Break trip, beginning this Sunday, March 9 against No. 5 Case Western Reserve.
TURNING POINT:
- Piedmont's win against Pfeiffer came down to a big comeback at No. 3 doubles from Johnstone and Backeberg and then Parnell holding on in a dramatic third set clincher.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Wassmer Navarro delivered a pair of clinical singles wins along with a pair wins at No. 1 doubles along with Parnell.
- Johnstone won a 6-0, 6-0 singles match at No. 4 against Huntingdon and also did not drop a single game in a No. 3 doubles win with Backeberg against the Hawks.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
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Twitter: @PiedmontLions,
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