DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Appalachian State University men's tennis started the Spring Break slate of matches off in style, sweeping Bethune-Cookman University 7-0 at City Island Tennis Center on Monday.
“This was a great start to the week for us,” head coach Bob Lake said. “Bethune-Cookman is a good team and they really played us well in singles. But I'm proud of the way our guys responded and am looking forward to the rest of the week.”
The Mountaineers (8-4) have found a rhythm in the past weeks, going 6-1 over their last seven matches. With the win, Appalachian snapped the Wildcats' two-match win streak, moving them to 4-8 overall on the season.
In doubles play, No. 2 duo Oliver Casey and Jack Maddocks jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, winning 6-1. Zach Bost and Trey Morris wouldn't be far behind them, storming to a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 spot. With the doubles point secured, the No. 1 matchup for Jan-Willem Kleynhans and Scott Webster went unfinished, tied at 4-4.
The Black and Gold carried hot rackets into the singles competition, as Casey made quick work of Justin Hall at the No. 2, winning 6-0, 6-0. At the No. 4 position, Kleynhans also found a groove early, downing Greg Almeida 6-1, 6-3.
Maddocks had to battle back in a tough fight at the No. 3 singles, falling behind 2-6 in the first set. In the second, Maddocks took Jose Plazas 6-4 before finishing him off in the third, 6-3, and securing the match point for the Mountaineers.
Despite the match being decided, the rest of the singles were played out.
Webster also needed all three sets to win the No. 1, as Walid Gtari came back from a 6-3 defeat in the first set to win 6-3 in the second. Webster regained his stride in the third set and won 6-3. Bost battled all the way back from a 3-6 setback in set one, taking the second set 6-2 to force a 10-point tiebreaker. Neither student-athlete was able to get too much of an advantage, but Bost got the edge, winning 10-7 to complete the sweep.
The Mountaineers continue playing in Florida next, taking on Stetson at Mandy Stoll Tennis Center in DeLand on Tuesday. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m.
