Stanley Roffe and Lautaro Vazquez rallied from down a break at No. 3 doubles and last-minute substitute Sherzod Akramov dropped only one game in the clinching match at No. 6 singles as nationally 24th-ranked University of Mount Olive defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University 8-1 in non-conference men's tennis Sunday at Walker Tennis Center. The match was the spring opener for both teams.
Mount Olive (2-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead after wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. Roffe and Vazquez trailed 6-4, but broke serve four straight times to come back for the win.
"Lautaro and I play well together and we never give up," said Roffe, a senior from King's Lynn, United Kingdom. "We knew we just had to keep on battling."
Vazquez, originally slated to play No. 5 singles, won in straight sets at No. 4 singles. Akramov, who got the start at No. 6 singles due to an injury to a Trojan player, won 6-1, 6-0 to give Mount Olive a 5-0 lead and clinch the team win. Matthew Finnerty (No. 1 singles), Edgar Bub (No. 2 singles) and Martim Sousa (No. 5 singles) all won in straight sets. Bub and Sousa both won first-set tie-breakers.
Lenoir-Rhyne (0-1) avoided the shutout with Patrick Bauer's straight-set win at No. 3 singles.
Finnerty talked about how the Trojans' doubles play sets the tone for singles play.
"We always want to go up 3-0 in doubles," said Finnerty, a senior from Warwickshire Leam, United Kingdom. "It helps us relax in singles play knowing the opponent has to win five of six singles matches to beat us."
Mount Olive's next two matches are on the road against Division I opponents. The Trojans travel to Buies Creek, N.C., Friday to take on Campbell and go to Greenville, N.C., Sunday to face East Carolina.
#24 Mount Olive 8, Lenoir-Rhyne 1
Singles
1. Matthew Finnerty (UMO) def. Robin Hochguertel (LR) 6-2, 6-4
2. Edgar Bub (UMO) def. Marvin Mueller (LR) 7-6, 6-2
3. Patrick Bauer (LR) def. Paul Wiederspahn (UMO) 6-3, 6-1
4. Lautaro Vazquez (UMO) def. Filip Dobrosavljevic (LR) 6-1, 6-1
5. Martin Sousa (UMO) def. John Christian Reid (LR) 7-6, 6-1
6. Sherzod Akramov (UMO) def. Matthew Ledford (LR) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1. Edgar Bub/Paul Wiederspahn (UMO) def. Marvin Mueller/Patrick Bauer (LR) 8-5
2. Henric Falkenberg/Matthew Finnerty (UMO) def. Filip Dobrosavljevic/Robin Hochguertel (LR) 8-3
3. Stan Roffe/Lautaro Vazquez (UMO) def. Matthew Ledford/John Christian Reid (LR) 9-7
Match Notes:
Lenoir-Rhyne 0-1
Mount Olive 2-1; National ranking #24
NCAA II Men's Tennis
T-3:40 A-49