Final Results
Updated Samford Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University men's tennis team extended its winning streak to three-consecutive matches Wednesday as the Bulldogs cruised to a 7-0 Southern Conference triumph against the Chattanooga Mocs in a Southern Rail Rivalry contest held at the Samford Tennis Center.
“We played a very good match today,” said Samford head coach
Rahim Esmail. “Chattanooga is a very solid team and we did the work on each court today from the start of doubles until the end of singles. We competed hard, we had good energy and we didn't take our foot off the gas.”
With its shutout win,
Samford (10-7, 5-1 SoCon) continued its stellar play at home this season and improved to 7-2 when competing in Birmingham. The second-place Bulldogs also tallied their third straight conference victory and moved to 5-1 in SoCon play this year.
Since dropping a hard-fought 5-2 decision to first-place Elon on March 24, Samford has posted consecutive league victories against Davidson, 7-0, Appalachian State, 4-3, and
Chattanooga (8-8, 3-4 SoCon), 7-0.
In Wednesday's lopsided triumph, the Bulldogs were winners on courts No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the all-important doubles point.
Samford then built upon its early 1-0 advantage and reeled off six-consecutive, straight-set victories in singles play to record its fourth shutout win of the 2013 season. The Bulldogs' victors in singles play Wednesday were
Zac Dunkle,
Elliot Barnwell,
Fares Kilani,
Alex Sajonz,
Austin Akers and
Garrison Laduca.
Dunkle, Samford's senior All-SoCon standout from Atlanta, extended his winning streak to four-consecutive matches as he posted a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over the Mocs' Roberto Vieira on court No. 1. With the win, Dunkle improved to 9-6 in dual-match play this season and remained undefeated against SoCon opponents at 5-0.
The Bulldogs' Akers and Barnwell both reached the 11-win mark Wednesday with respective straight-set victories over their Chattanooga counterparts on courts No. 4 and No. 2. Akers, Samford's sophomore transfer from the University of Wisconsin, moved to 11-5 this season, while Barnwell improved to 11-6.
“We can be a very successful team when we do the work that's needed on every court,” Esmail said. “I am very pleased with our team today and we look forward to getting on the road this weekend and competing again.”
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin a critical three-match SoCon road swing against the Wofford Terriers to be held in Spartanburg, S.C.
Final Results
Updated Samford Stats
