Generals to Face Emory in Second Round on Saturday
ATLANTA, Ga. --- The 20th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team recovered from a 3-0 hole following doubles play to record a 5-3 victory over the University of Texas-Tyler in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday afternoon at Emory University.
The Generals dropped matches at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles by scores of 8-5 and the team of seniors Jeremy Becht (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah) and Ben Fass (Baltimore, Md./Friends) fell in a tie-break, 9-8 (7-5) at No. 2 doubles.
W&L began its comeback by easily taking the top two singles positions as junior Hayden White(Baltimore, Md./Towson) posted a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 and first-year Taylor Shamshiri (Austin, Texas/ATA College Prep) notched a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 2. Fass followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles to knot the match at 3-3.
Senior Brian Roberts (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) gave W&L their first lead when he ousted first-year Robert Hodous in three sets (6-0, 3-6, 6-0) at No. 6 singles and Becht clinched the match with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over senior Kevin Wright at No. 3 singles.
The win improved W&L to 16-4 overall, while the Patriots fell to 17-6. The Generals advance to Saturday's second round, where they will face second-ranked Emory University at 2:00 pm.
Washington and Lee vs Texas-Tyler (May 11, 2012)
#20 Washington and Lee 5, Texas-Tyler 3
May 11, 2012 at Atlanta, GA
| Singles competition |
| 1. Hayden White (W&L) def. Ryan Spencer (UTTM) 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2. Taylor Shamshiri (W&L) def. Kevin Singer (UTTM) 6-2, 6-0 |
| 3. Jeremy Becht (W&L) def. Kevin Wright (UTTM) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 4. Edward Timponi (UTTM) vs. Michael Freeman (W&L) 6-3, 1-6, 2-2, unfinished |
| 5. Ben Fass (W&L) def. Doug Kierstead (UTTM) 6-2, 6-2 |
| 6. Brian Roberts (W&L) def. Robert Hodous (UTTM) 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Ryan Spencer/Kevin Singer (UTTM) def. Hayden White/Taylor Shamshiri (W&L) 8-5 |
| 2. Kevin Wright/Robert Hodous (UTTM) def. Jeremy Becht/Ben Fass (W&L) 9-8 (7-5) |
| 3. Doug Kierstead/Joey Hendrie (UTTM) def. Mac Davis/Brian Roberts (W&L) 8-5 |
| Match Notes |
| Washington and Lee 16-4; National ranking #20 |
| Texas-Tyler 17-6 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,5,6,3) |
| NCAA First Round Match of D-III Men's Tournament |
| Emory University - Atlanta, GA |
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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