ORLANDO, Fla. - Freshman captain Jackson Ray claimed a pivotal three-set victory in number-two singles to help push the Brevard College men's tennis team (3-5) to a 5-4 team victory over Wabash College (0-12) on Wednesday afternoon at the USTA National Training Center in Orlando, Florida.
Brevard won the number-three doubles match before reeling off four singles victories to complete the comeback victory over the Little Giants of Wabash.
The doubles tandem of Miles Schafer and Brysen Hall cruised to an 8-1 victory in the third doubles match, 8-1, over Wabash's Gerald Randle and Diego Rocca Torres.
Ray and Ethan McGee partnered up in the number-one doubles spot, narrowly falling, 8-7 to Reed Mathis and Emerson Courter. The match went to the tiebreaker, where the Little Giants' duo was able to prevail, 9-7, to earn the match victory.
Troy Broska and JaMarcus Walker dropped the number-two doubles match, 8-4, to Wabash's Devin Vanyo and Paul Hargitt, giving the Little Giants a 2-1 match advantage heading into singles action.
Schafer and Walker made quick work of the numbers five and six singles slots, as Schafer swept Randle, 6-0, 6-0 before Walker earned a 6-1, 6-1 triumph. Broska followed suit with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in number-three singles, pulling BC ahead in the match, 4-2.
Wabash gained a pair of points back, as McGee was dropped by Mathis in the top line singles match, 6-3, 6-1. Andrew Ingram narrowly fell in the number-four spot, 6-4, 6-3, as Wabash drew even in the overall match, 4-4. The contest was to be decided by the number-two singles battle of Ray and Hargitt.
Set number one went into the tiebreaker, with Ray pulling out a thrilling 7-6 set win after taking the tiebreaker from Hargitt, 10-8. The Asheville, North Carolina native pulled out the three-set victory with a 10-5 triumph in the third and final set, clinching the match win, 5-4.
Brevard's men's team will be in action for the final time in Orlando tomorrow when the Tornados face the University of St. Francis (Ind.) at 12 p.m. alongside the women's team. The match is slated to be played at the Cane Lake Tennis Center in Orlando.
TENNIS SCHEDULE UPDATES: Due to action at both Colorado College and Berea College in response to COVID-19, Brevard men's and women's tennis will not face Colorado College as originally scheduled on Friday in Orlando. Furthermore, the Tornados' originally scheduled home matches against Berea on Sunday have also been canceled.
For up-to-date news and information about schedule changes in Brevard College Athletics related to COVID-19, please stay tuned to bctornados.com and the Brevard College Athletics social media outlets.
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-BC-