Final Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In an intense, cross-town rivalry match held at George Ward Park, the Samford University men's tennis team nearly charged back to defeat the UAB Blazers in a thrilling nonconference contest that came down to the final tiebreaker. The Bulldogs' Zac Dunkle almost pulled off the come-from-behind victory, but UAB eventually hung on for the 4-3 win.
 
With the overall score of the match knotted at 3-3, all attention shifted to court No. 1 where Samford's Dunkle battled in the third set with the Blazers' David Zimmerman. Zimmerman opened the third frame with a 5-2 advantage, but Dunkle battled back to even the score at 6-6 and send the contest to a tiebreaker.
 
UAB's Zimmerman, with the overall team match on the line, took advantage of the Blazers' home crowd to hold on for the slight 7-6 victory.
 
“Today was another hard-fought match,” said Samford head coach Rahim Esmail. “I am very proud of the way we competed, as you can see by the scores in our matches. When it comes down to a tie-breaker in the third set to decide a match, it's anybody's match. UAB played great overall and I give them a lot of credit. They really stepped up and earned that win to close it out at No. 1. We fought hard today as always, and it's tough to come out on the losing end in a match like this.”
 
With Friday's heartbreaking 4-3 loss, Samford (3-2) moved to 1-2 in road matches this season. The Bulldogs opened their road schedule with a 5-2 setback at No. 59-ranked Georgia State on Feb. 3, but then bounced back to register a historic 4-3 victory at No. 45 Alabama on Feb. 6.
 
UAB (3-6) held on to win the all-important doubles point Friday and then received singles victories from Chris Helliar on court No. 4 and Rafael Rondino on court No. 3.
 
In the doubles competition, Samford's tandem comprised of Alex Sajonz and Dunkle tallied an 8-7 win over the Blazers' Tom Puetz and Zimmerman on court No. 1. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, UAB was able to take victories on court Nos. 2 and 3, by scores of 8-7 and 8-4, respectively.
 
“I'm disappointed with our doubles play right now, especially with our lack of ability to close out matches,” Esmail said. “We have made the same mistake numerous times already this year and this is very frustrating.”
 
Samford, which found itself in a tough 1-0 hole after losing the doubles point, rallied to take singles victories on courts Nos. 2, 5 and 6.
 
Junior Garrison Laduca cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win on court No. 6, while Austin Akers earned a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over the Blazers' Lucas Dirube in the No. 5 singles contest. Akers, the Bulldogs' sophomore transfer from the University of Wisconsin, improved to 4-0 in singles play this season with his victory.
 
Samford's Elliot Barnwell picked up the Bulldogs' third singles triumph of the match as he outlasted Puetz on court No. 2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. With the victory, Barnwell improved to 3-2 in singles play this year.
 
“We are doing a lot of things very well right now, and playing at a high level overall,” said Esmail. “I feel like we are improving each week. I am really looking forward to practice this week, as our team should be very motivated to get back at it in preparation for our next match.”
 
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to the Samford Tennis Center for another key in-state duel, this time against the Troy Trojans.

Final Results