Hilltopper Men Rally Past Davis & Elkins

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's tennis team came from behind in the final two matches here Wednesday to edge Davis & Elkins, 4-3, in Mountain East Conference action at the Edgar Martin Tennis Complex.

Coach Ronnie Hulewicz's Hilltoppers (4-4, 4-1) had their backs to the wall as the match wound down. The Senators (2-3, 2-2) held a 3-2 lead with all but the No. 4 and No. 5 singles matches in the books.

After dropping a 7-5 decision in the opening set of his No. 4 singles match with Jacob Johnson, West Liberty's Daisuke Aota came storming back to win the final two sets by scores of 6-2 and 6-3 and take the nod.

At No. 5 singles, Derek Roehner had traded 6-4 wins with D&E's Vinicius Azerado in the first two sets to set up a decisive third set. The pair battled on even terms throughout the third set and beyond before Roehner clinched the match with a tiebreaker win.

The West Liberty men return to the Edgar Martin Tennis Complex courts on Friday for a 2 p.m. non-conference match against NCAA Division I St. Francis (Pa.).

MEN’S TENNIS

West Liberty 4, Davis & Elkins 3

Singles

Isfandiyor Makhumudov (WLU) d. Matt Mulyadi, 7-6(1), 6-1

Alvaro Legoinha (D&E) d. Anton Schulz, 7-5, 7-5

Gianluca Gerndt (WLU) d. Andrew Shand, 7-5, 6-2

Daisuke Aota (WLU) d. Jacob Johnson, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3

Derek Roehner (WLU) d. Vinicius Azerado, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6)

Kyle Hawthorne (D&E) d. Zarion Jones, 6-4, 6-1

Doubles

Legoinha/Mulyadi (D&E) d. Roehner/Makhumudov, 7-5

Shand/Johnson (D&E) d. Aota/Gerndt, 6-4

Schulz/Jones (WLU) d. Azeredo/Hussain Hamide, 6-0