March 26, 2011
Results
DAVIDSON, N.C. -
The Samford University men's tennis team earned a critical 4-3 Southern Conference victory against the Davidson Wildcats on Saturday as the Bulldogs battled to a key league triumph held indoors at the Knobloch Tennis Center.
With the win, Samford (12-4, 2-2 SoCon) improved its record on the road this season to 3-1. Since losing at Georgia State on Feb. 6, the Bulldogs have rattled off consecutive away victories against Saint Leo 8-1, Florida Gulf Coast 7-0 and Davidson (4-13, 0-4 SoCon) 4-3.
The Wildcats suffered their third-consecutive loss Saturday. Since playing to a 5-2 home win versus Charlotte on March 16, Davidson has dropped three straight contests against UNC Greensboro 5-2, 63rd-ranked Radford 7-0 and Samford 4-3.
The Bulldogs lost Saturday's doubles point, but rebounded with critical singles wins from Zac Dunkle, Oliver Reynolds, Fernando Costa and Alexander Sajonz to rally for the team triumph.
Samford's key victories occurred at the bottom of the lineup as Reynolds, Costa and Sajonz all tallied clutch three-set triumphs. Reynolds earned a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2 win on court No. 4, while Costa outlasted Davidson's Arie Hefter on court No. 5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, and Sajonz bounced back for a thrilling 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory in the No. 6 singles contest.
Also winning in singles play was Samford's Dunkle on court No. 2. The Bulldogs' All-SoCon sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., scored a straight-set victory against the Wildcats' Chris Mark 6-2, 7-6(3). With the win, Dunkle improved his record in singles play to 11-4.
Samford's Reynolds also moved to 12-3 this season, while Sajonz's key victory helped him to an 11-3 mark in singles play.
In Saturday's doubles competition, the Bulldogs' lone triumph occurred on court No. 2 as Dunkle and Sajonz teamed to an 8-4 victory against Davidson's combination of Ethan Kallick and Walker Lyons. Samford's aforementioned doubles pair owns a team-best 13-2 record this season.
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Sunday at noon (CDT) as the Bulldogs conclude their arduous weekend road trip with a key SoCon matchup against the Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Ga.
