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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- In its 2015 spring season-opener Monday, the Samford University men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision against the 36th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a non-conference duel held at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility.
 
"It's great to get the season underway and to start competing," said Samford head coach Rahim Esmail. "Both teams were ready to compete today and I felt that Alabama did a great job with their energy throughout the entire match. Alabama is a very solid team, and it was a good way for us to really challenge ourselves early on against a very good team that I feel can be a top-25 team this year."
 
With the defeat, Samford (0-1) lost its opportunity to garner a winning streak against in-state rival Alabama (1-0).
 
Two years ago, in the last meeting held between the teams on Feb. 6, 2013, the Bulldogs defeated the No. 52-ranked Crimson Tide, 4-3. In the historic triumph, Samford ended a 31-match losing streak against Alabama, dating back to May 5, 1961, when the school was named Howard College. Therefore, it was the Bulldogs' first win over the Crimson Tide in nearly 52 years.
 
On Monday, Alabama jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the contest by sweeping the doubles competition.
 
"We got off to a good start in the doubles," Esmail said. "We were even at 2-2 on all courts. Alabama was then able to pull away midway through each doubles set and built some momentum, winning the big points along the way. We were unable to match that. I thought we did a good job across the board when it came to competing, some did better than others, but overall as a team we competed well."
 
In singles play, the Crimson Tide extended its advantage to 5-0 with straight-set victories on courts No. 4, No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6.
 
Samford's Austin Akers proved to be triumphant in the No. 2 singles matchup Monday. Against Alabama's Stuart Kenyon, the Bulldogs' senior native of Lexington, Kentucky, trimmed the Tide's lead to 5-1 as he registered a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory.
 
"Austin did a great job in singles today," said Esmail. "He did not play out of his comfort zone. He played his game and did what he does well, very well. He competed extremely hard and his result in singles showed."
 
Akers concluded the 2014 dual-match season with a 7-10 singles record and will lead the Bulldogs this year as the team's lone senior.
 
"We are a very young team and this is all a learning process," Esmail said. "It's important that we gain a lot from the start of our season so we can build on things each week in order to give ourselves the best possible chance to be successful at the end of our season."
 
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Feb. 7 at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their arduous early-spring schedule on the road against the 19^th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi.

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