MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio -- Fourth-ranked Washington (Mo.) won five of six singles matches after falling behind 2-1 to defeat No. 10 Johns Hopkins 6-3 and win its first Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III National Men’s Tennis Indoor Championship on Sunday.
“I told them it's only a 2-1 edge and we've played good singles the whole weekend," said head coach Roger Follmer, who led Washington University to the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship. "It's no different, don't change anything. I think the singles is more of a marathon, and requires less energy of yelling all the time like in the doubles matches. Doubles, that sets it up. They [Jeremy Bush and Ross Putterman] got the point we needed. Getting down 3-0 would have made it very difficult to come back."
John Hopkins (2-2) grabbed the early 2-1 advantage as Washington U.’s lone win came at No. 1 doubles as junior Putterman and freshman Bush defeated Michael Buxbaum and Emerson Walsh in a battle of top-five doubles teams.
It looked as if the Bears would end doubles play with a 2-1 edge after freshman John Carswell and senior Max Franklin built a 6-2 lead at No. 2 doubles. However, Johns Hopkins’ Tanner Brown and Erik Lim rattled off six consecutive games to give JHU the momentum heading into singles.
Washington U. leaned on its singles play as it had the entire weekend to take control of the match. Carswell disposed of No. 19-ranked Tanner Brown at No. 2 singles 6-3, 6-2 to even the match, but Buxbaum defeated Putterman at No. 1 singles to get the lead back for the Blue Jays. That was the last lead Johns Hopkins would have as the Bears won the final four matches.
Sophomore Tyler Kratky won at No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-0 to even the match at 3-3, and junior Kevin Chu posted a tight 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory at No. 6 singles. Bush clinched the match for the Bears with a 7-5, 6-3 win against No. 15-ranked Ben Hwang at No. 3 singles. Bush went a combined 6-0 in the three matches during the weekend, and has a 22-10 record in his first season with the Bears.
No. 8 Trinity (Texas) 7, Case Western Reserve 2
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio -- Trinity (Texas) captured third place with a 7-2 victory Sunday against the Case Western Reserve Spartans at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III National Men’s Indoor Championship.
Trinity (8-3) beat No. 4 California Lutheran 7-2 in Friday’s opening round, and fell 3-6 to Washington (Mo.) in Saturday’s semifinals.
The Tigers won two of three doubles matches from the Spartans. Greg Haugen and Jordan Mayer took No. 2 doubles 8-5, while Chas Mayer and Clayton Niess won the No. 3 line 8-4. Paxton Deuel and Nico Moreno lost 8-2 in the No. 1 match.
Trinity went on to win five of the six singles matches, with the clincher coming at the No. 2 match. Aaron Skinner won his matchup by a score of 6-4, 6-2.
Jordan Mayer continued on his undefeated streak by taking No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-3. Mayer is sporting a 9-0 singles record.
Haugen was a 6-4, 6-3 winner at No. 3 singles, and Moreno fought past his opponent to win the No. 4 line 7-6, 6-3. Chas Mayer won the first set of No. 6 singles 7-6, and prevailed 6-2 in the second set .Deuel lost No. 1 singles 7-6, 6-2.
