By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – With the match tied at 2-2, LaGrange (6-7, 1-5 CCS) men's tennis rallied with back-to-back singles match victories to secure a victory as they went on to a 4-3 win over Point (3-9, 3-7 AAC) in an NCAA men's tennis match on Monday, April 24.
With the match played under NCAA Division I rules, doubles awarded just one point for taking two of three matches and the Panthers would start out halfway there via a forfeit at No. 3 for too few players.
Seniors Al Robertson (Moreland, Ga.) and Luke Griffin (Atlanta, Ga.) then secured the point with a 6-3 victory over Erick Manuel Cruz and Martin Brena while freshmen Michael Strydom (Brits, South Africa) and Nic Bodin (Atlanta, Ga.) notched a 6-1 win over Louis Van Camp and Bryant Morales at the top spot.
Up 1-0, LC would double that margin with another forfeit, this time at No. 6, before the Skyhawks took the first two singles matches to tie it up. That would see Van Camp defeat Strydom 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 1 position and Morales knock off Griffin 6-0, 6-1 at the third spot.
The Panthers would bounce back, however, as they took the next two to lock up the match as Robertson outlasted Manuel Cruz 7-5, 6-3 at No. 2 and Bodin took a three-setter, 7-3, 6-7, 6-0, off of Khalen Wimes to secure the victory. Brena would round things out with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over freshman Kyle Moore (Sharpsburg, Ga.) at No. 5.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will now head to the inaugural Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament (CCS), with this year's tournament being played at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Georgia on the campus of Berry College. LaGrange will take on No. 3 Seed Belhaven on Thursday, April 27 with first serve yet to be determined.
LAGRANGE 4, POINT 3
Doubles
1. Nic Bodin/Michael Strydom (LC) def. Louis Van Camp/Bryant Morales (PT) 6-1
2. Al Robertson/Luke Griffin (LC) def. Erick Manuel Cruz/Martin Brena (PT) 6-3
3. Kyle Moore/Zach Neighbors (LC) def. No player/No player (PT), by forfeit
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. Louis Van Camp (PT) def. Michael Strydom (LC) 6-1, 6-1
2. Al Robertson (LC) def. Erick Manuel Cruz (PT) 7-5, 6-3
3. Bryant Morales (PT) def. Luke Griffin (LC) 6-0, 6-1
4. Nic Bodin (LC) def. Khalen Wimes (PT) 6-3, 6-7, 6-0
5. Martin Brena (PT) def. Kyle Moore (LC) 6-1, 6-2
6. Zach Neighbors (LC) def. No player (PT), by forfeit
Order of Finish: 6,1,3,2,4,5
