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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- It was a fitting end to the Bulldogs' Senior Day contest Wednesday as Samford senior Austin Akers walked off the court triumphant following a thrilling, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 come-from-behind victory over Chattanooga's Lucas Plesky in a key 6-1 league win held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
Akers, the Bulldogs' talented All-Southern Conference performer from Lexington, Kentucky, improved his singles record to 10-7 on the season with his match-ending win on court No. 2. With the victory, he capped a brilliant singles performance by the entire Samford (8-10, 2-4 SoCon) squad Wednesday as they swept the visiting Mocs, 6-0, in the competition.
 
Chattanooga (5-15, 1-6 SoCon) opened the match with a pair of slight 8-6 wins in doubles play to garner the first point of the afternoon. It proved to be the Mocs' lone score of the day.
 
"The team did a good job today," said Samford head coach Rahim Esmail. "We responded well after losing the doubles point. We did not do a good enough job in the doubles. To come out and win five of six first sets was what we needed."
 
On court No. 3, Samford's pairing of Justin Ghavami and Fares Kilani defeated Chattanooga's Luke Saunders and Nick Wingord, 8-1. The Bulldogs' tandem improved its record on the season to 3-3.
 
Samford quickly rebounded from losing the doubles point and set the tone early in singles.
 
The Bulldogs' Kilani, Trey Carter, Eduardo Lourido Sanchez and Jake Faundez all cruised to straight-set wins Wednesday. By defeating John Peacey on court No. 6, 6-1, 6-2, Faundez improved to 9-7 in singles play this season and 4-2 against SoCon opponents.
 
Lourido Sanchez clinched Samford's overall team victory on court No. 5 with a 6-2, 7-6 triumph, while Ghavami held off Wingord in the No. 4 singles contest, 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.
 
Akers, with a large contingent of friends and family on hand Wednesday, closed out the Bulldogs' win with a three-set victory. With the triumph, Akers extended his winning streak to three-consecutive matches and improved to 10-6 on court No. 2 this season.
 
"Chattanooga is a tough team," Esmail said. "They are well-coached and you have to beat them. They don't give you much. We competed well across the board today. I'm proud of the way Austin finished today on Senior Day. We still have lots of work left to do and we're looking forward to our last home match on Saturday."
 
The Samford University men's tennis team will next be in action Saturday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs play host to The Citadel Bulldogs in their final home match of the 2015 season. The contest will be held at the Samford Tennis Center.

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