Final Results
Updated Samford Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 61st-ranked Samford University men's tennis team used a strong performance in singles play Wednesday to earn a hard-fought 4-3 Southern Conference victory over the UNCG Spartans in a pivotal league contest held at the Samford Tennis Center.
“There is only one reason we won this match today, and that is just that we found ways to win,” said Samford head coach
Rahim Esmail. “I am pleased with the way we competed. We did not play our best tennis, but we found a way to win and that is very important.”
Samford (7-4, 2-0 SoCon) lost the doubles point Wednesday, but rallied to notch four crucial wins in singles play.
After the Bulldogs'
Austin Akers and
Garrison Laduca cruised to straight-set victories on courts No. 5 and 6, respectively, Samford's
Fares Kilani came from behind to topple the Spartans' Randy Phillips in the No. 3 singles contest, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Kilani's triumph gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 advantage in the match and improved his record on the season to 8-3.
Samford's match-clinching victory occurred on court No. 2 as senior
Elliot Barnwell battled to a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 win over UNCG's James Dougherty.
“Elliot stepped up in the third set and elevated his game to a higher level,” Esmail said. “We are happy and fortunate to get out of today with a win and we will get back to work for the rest of the week, especially on the things that we need to work on. Overall, this was a great college tennis match.”
With their key SoCon triumph, the Bulldogs remained undefeated in conference play this season and extended their winning streak to three-consecutive matches. Samford also improved its near-perfect record at home this year to 6-1.
UNCG (7-1, 2-1 SoCon) suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday, including its second straight 4-3 decision to the Bulldogs. Last year, Samford tallied a similar 4-3 victory over the Spartans on the road in Greensboro, N.C.
“UNCG is a very scrappy, competitive team and both teams fought extremely hard today,” said Esmail. “I give them a lot of credit in the way they fought. We found a way to win ugly, which we can take a lot of positives from. UNCG is a very good team and this match could have gone either way.”
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Monday at 3 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin play in a two-match, spring break road trip versus the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns to be held in Lafayette, La.
Final Results
Updated Samford Stats
