Tuesday, March 27
Omaha, Neb.
12:30 PM
Creighton University
4
vs
3
Air Force
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Men's Tennis Rallies Back From Early Doubles Loss To Defeat Air Force, 4-3
3/27/2018 3:10:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Bluejays claimed four consecutive singles matches
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's tennis team won four consecutive singles matches to defeat Air Force, 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
The Bluejays improved to 7-8 this season and extended their winning streak to five matches.
The Falcons opened Tuesday by securing the doubles point with wins at the top two positions. Air Force won 6-1 at No. 2 before Armando Gandini and Brooks Kendall paired for a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 position. The visiting Falcons earned a 6-3 decision in the No. 1 doubles match for the first point of the overall match.
Creighton responded by winning four singles matches in straight sets to clinch the overall match.
Jose Oscar Diaz started the rally with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles before Stratton Brown claimed a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 2.
Kendall continued the Bluejays winning ways with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the top singles position. Daniel Lopez-Rey helped Creighton secure the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles for the Bluejays' fourth point of the day.
Air Force won in straight sets at No. 3 singles for the Falcons' first singles victory of the afternoon.
The lone match to go three sets featured Creighton's Alex Koca at No. 4. The senior claimed the opening set in a tiebreaker before falling 6-4 during the second set and 10-8 in a tightly contested third-set 10-point tiebreaker to bring the final margin of victory to a single point, 4-3.
"This was a big win for the guys," head coach Tom Lilly said. "Air Force is well coached and always has a strong team. To be able to win this match after losing the doubles points was impressive; and I though our guys kept focused and played very well. This should give us confidence heading into our BIG EAST matches in 11 days.
Creighton returns to the courts on April 6 in Milwaukee for a match against Marquette.
Creighton 4, Air Force 3
Mar 27, 2018 at Omaha, Neb. (Hanscom Tennis Center)
The Bluejays improved to 7-8 this season and extended their winning streak to five matches.
The Falcons opened Tuesday by securing the doubles point with wins at the top two positions. Air Force won 6-1 at No. 2 before Armando Gandini and Brooks Kendall paired for a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 position. The visiting Falcons earned a 6-3 decision in the No. 1 doubles match for the first point of the overall match.
Creighton responded by winning four singles matches in straight sets to clinch the overall match.
Jose Oscar Diaz started the rally with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles before Stratton Brown claimed a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 2.
Kendall continued the Bluejays winning ways with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the top singles position. Daniel Lopez-Rey helped Creighton secure the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles for the Bluejays' fourth point of the day.
Air Force won in straight sets at No. 3 singles for the Falcons' first singles victory of the afternoon.
The lone match to go three sets featured Creighton's Alex Koca at No. 4. The senior claimed the opening set in a tiebreaker before falling 6-4 during the second set and 10-8 in a tightly contested third-set 10-point tiebreaker to bring the final margin of victory to a single point, 4-3.
"This was a big win for the guys," head coach Tom Lilly said. "Air Force is well coached and always has a strong team. To be able to win this match after losing the doubles points was impressive; and I though our guys kept focused and played very well. This should give us confidence heading into our BIG EAST matches in 11 days.
Creighton returns to the courts on April 6 in Milwaukee for a match against Marquette.
Creighton 4, Air Force 3
Mar 27, 2018 at Omaha, Neb. (Hanscom Tennis Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Brooks Kendall (CU) def. Patrick Sklenka (USAF) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2. Stratton Brown (CU) def. Isaac Perez (USAF) 6-0, 6-4 |
| 3. Luke Sanderson (USAF) def. Armando Gandini (CU) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 4. Max Olson (USAF) def. Alex Koca (CU) 6-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8) |
| 5. Daniel Lopez-Rey (CU) def. Paul Hendrix (USAF) 6-2, 6-3 |
| 6. Jose Oscar Diaz (CU) def. Mack Galvin (USAF) 6-2, 6-1 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Isaac Perez/Patrick Sklenka (USAF) def. Alex Koca/Stratton Brown (CU) 6-3 |
| 2. Tadhg Collins/Luke Sanderson (USAF) def. Mac Mease/Daniel Lopez-Rey (CU) 6-1 |
| 3. Armando Gandini/Brooks Kendall (CU) def. Paul Hendrix/Jamie Bautista (USAF) 6-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,2,1,5,3,4) |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Men's Tennis
PLAYER
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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