BRIDGEWATER, Va. --- Bridgewater College needed to win the final three matches on the courts Monday afternoon to defeat Randolph-Macon and the Eagles did just that, edging the Yellow Jackets 5-4 in the ODAC men's tennis tournament quarterfinals.
The two teams played just a week ago with the Eagles taking a close 6-3 decision on Mapp Courts. Monday's match was even closer.
After the Yellow Jackets took a 2-1 lead in doubles, four of the six singles matches went to three sets. The Eagles closed out play by winning at No. 4, No. 2 and No. 3 singles to advance to the conference semifinal round.
The Yellow Jackets grabbed the advantage with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Randolph-Macon's Ryan Byrd and Ira Usry held off Kyle Hartfield and Christian Lynn to win the No. 1 match, 8-6. At No. 3, Tom Lewis and Baxter Carter defeated Bridgewater's Aaron Snook and Cameron Rhoney, 8-3.
The Eagles salvaged a point at No. 2 doubles where Brandon Larsen and Thomas Rishcoff downed John Adam and Connor Hoerr, 8-3.
Larsen defeated Byrd 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, but the Yellow Jackets posted wins at No. 5 and No. 6, both in three sets, to move within one point of clinching the match.
At No. 5 singles, Bridgewater's Snook won the opening set 6-3, but Alex Curnow rallied to win the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 for the Yellow Jackets.
Randolph-Macon's Lewis took the first set at No. 6 singles 6-2, but Rhoney answered to even the match, winning the second set 6-3. Lewis regained control in the third set, winning 6-0.
Rishcoff was next off the court as he kept the Eagles alive with a victory at No. 4 over Randolph-Macon's Usry. In a tightly contested first set, Rishcoff won 7-6, taking the tiebreaker 7-4. The Bridgewater sophomore then won the second set 6-3.
Hartfield and Hoerr locked up in another three-set match at No. 2 singles. Hoerr won the first set in a tiebreaker, but Hartfield took the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to even the match.
Just moments after Hartfield closed out his match, Lynn won the final match on the courts, claiming the third set over Adam 6-3 at the No. 3 singles slot. Lynn took the first set of the match 6-2 before Adam evened the score, winning the second set 6-4.
With the victory, Bridgewater advanced to the ODAC semifinals Saturday at Virginia Wesleyan College where the fourth-seeded Eagles will play No. 1 seed Washington and Lee. The Generals advanced to the semis with a 5-0 victory over Shenandoah in a quarterfinal match played this past Saturday.
--- This release is courtesy of the Bridgewater College sports information department. ---
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