NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Newberry men’s tennis team pulled off a win Wednesday afternoon, defeating the visiting Wingate Bulldogs 5-4 in South Atlantic Conference action. Newberry improves its record to 3-4 (1-1 SAC), while Wingate drops to 3-10 (2-2).
Newberry dropped its opening doubles match, as Wingate’s number one team of Joe Kanekar (Maharashtra, India) and Chase Carmen (Waterford, Mich.) defeated Jonathan Ward (Sunney, England) and Dennis Quaye (Fredericksburg, Va.) by an 8-6 score.
But Newberry would strike back in the number two and three matches, to take a 2-1 lead heading into singles. Newberry’s Anthony Rinadlis (Potomac, Va.) and Adam Morehart (Woodstock, Ga.) defeated Wingate’s number two team of Brandon Thornton (Richmond, Va.) and Mark Stern (Gainesville, Fla.) by a score of 8-5. In the match between the number three teams, it was Oliver Elston (Katy, Texas) and Toby Rawlings (Bristol, England) of Newberry defeating Wingate’s Kotaro Noguchi (Miyazaki-si, Japan) and Spencer Delbridge (Henderson, N.C.) 8-6.
The Indians took the match in the singles portion, splitting the six matches, but walking away with the 5-4 team victory. Four of the six matches went all three sets.
Kanekar made easy work of Newberry’s Kaushik Sridhar (Lagos, Nigeria) in the number one match, winning 6-1, 6-2. Wingate’s number two player Noguchi had little trouble with Newberry’s Ward, winning 6-1, 6-0.
The Indians were able to win a match in the third game, when Rawlings overcame losing the first set 1-6 to Wingate’s Thornton, to take the next two sets 6-0, 7-5 to give Newberry the point. After Wingate’s Carmen dispatched Rinaldis 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead, Newberry would win the final two matches to take the 5-4 victory.
In the meeting of the fives, Morehart dropped the first set to Wingate’s Stern 4-6, but rallied to take the match and the point by taking the final two sets 6-0, 7-5. Elston put the match in the bag, defeating Delbridge 6-1, 6-3.
The Indians are back in action this Friday, April 1st, when they will travel to Tusculum for another SAC showdown. The match is scheduled for 4:15.
MT: Newberry College 5, Wingate University 4
Records: Newberry 3-4 (1-1 SAC), Wingate 3-10 (2-2 SAC)
Doubles
#1 Kanekar/Carmen (WU) def. Ward/Quaye (NEW) 8-6
#2 Morehart/Rinaldis (NEW) def. Thornton/Stern (NEW) 8-5
#3 Elston/Rawlings (NEW) def. Noguchi/Delbridge (WU) 8-6
Singles
#1 Joe Kanekar (WU) def. Kaushik Sridhar (NEW) 6-1, 6-2
#2 Kotaro Noguchi (WU) def. Jonathan Ward (NEW) 6-1, 6-0
#3 Toby Rawlings (NEW) def. Brandon Thornton (WU) 1-6, 6-0, 7-5
#4 Chase Carmen (NEW) def. Anthony Rinaldis (WU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6
#5 Adam Morehart (NEW) def. Mark Stern (WU) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
#6 Oliver Elston (NEW) def. Spencer Delbridge (WU) 6-1, 6-3
