Box Score
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In a hotly-contested Southern Conference opener held at the Samford Tennis Center Sunday, the Samford University men's tennis team suffered a 4-3 loss to the Appalachian State Mountaineers in an early-season battle that came down to the final singles court.
"Today was a very hard-fought match and a tough battle," said Samford head coach
Rahim Esmail. "Appalachian State competed very well and took advantage of their opportunities when given to them. Overall as a team, we competed hard, but let some opportunities slip on certain courts and it cost us."
With Sunday's loss,
Samford (2-6, 0-1 SoCon) moved to 2-3 when playing at home this season, while
Appalachian State (4-2, 1-0 SoCon) extended its winning streak to two-consecutive matches. Last weekend, the Mountaineers suffered a 4-2 setback at Coastal Carolina before topping Richmond by a 4-3 score on a neutral court.
This season's conference-opening contest proved to be eerily similar to last year's battle with the road squad earning a hard-fought 4-3 win. In 2013, Samford traveled to Boone, N.C., and tallied a thrilling 4-3 SoCon triumph.
The Bulldogs came up short in Sunday's all-important doubles point as Appalachian State notched an early 1-0 advantage in the match.
Samford's doubles combination of
Austin Akers and
Fares Kilani reeled off an 8-5 victory on court No. 3, but the Mountaineers were able to hang on to victories on courts No. 1 and No. 2 by respective scores of 8-5 and 8-2.
With its win, the Bulldogs' tandem of Akers and Kilani improved to 5-2 in doubles play this season.
Despite dropping Sunday's doubles point, Samford bounced back in singles play and received quick straight-set triumphs from
Elliot Barnwell, Kilani and
Liam Sullivan. With his solid 6-4, 6-1 victory on court No. 1, the Bulldogs' Barnwell improved his overall dual-match record to 5-3 this season.
Following Samford's early resurgence in singles play, the Bulldogs battled back to even the score of the match at 3-3, as all eyes turned to court No. 4 and a battle between Carter and Appalachian State's Zach Bost.
In the decisive match of Sunday's contest, the Mountaineers' Bost was able to outlast Carter for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 marathon win as Appalachian State posted its 4-3 team victory.
"We did a great job today in the top of our singles lineup," Esmail said. "We were able to get a jump on our opponents early in second sets after grinding out a tough first set. This needs to become contagious across the board. We are starting to do a lot of things better, but need to keep raising the bar individually and as a team if we want these matches to go our way.
Following Sunday's singles results, Samford's Kilani improved to 4-4 in dual-match play, while Sullivan and Akers both moved to 3-4. The Bulldogs' Carter and Moore and now 2-6 and 1-7 this spring, respectively.
"Despite losing a tough battle, there are still many positives to take from today," said Esmail. "We will get back to work this week in preparation for next weekend's SoCon road trip."
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Friday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a two-match conference road trip against the UNCG Spartans to be held in Greensboro, N.C.
Box Score
Samford Stats
