JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - With a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against Carson-Newman's Dalton Moore in the No. 6 singles flight, David Sons (Lexington, S.C.) became the latest member of the Newberry men's tennis team to seal yet another dramatic victory for the Wolves.
Much like yesterday's match against Tusculum, the Newberry player who decided the match lost his first set to the opposition. With the victory, the Wolves clinch a spot in the Food Lion SAC Tournament for the first time since the 2009 season.
The scarlet and gray got off to a strong start thanks to Vinicius Botelho (Fortaleza, Brazil) and Sons. The duo picked up an 8-4 win in their No. 1 doubles match against Trent Slagle and Matthew White by an 8-4 tally.
The Eagles would even matters on the adjacent court though, as Michael Saunders (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Mohammed Chakir (Rabat, Morocco) dropped a tough 9-8 decision against Paul Birdsong and Adriano Kira. The match was settled by a tiebreaker set which the Carson-Newman pair took by a slim 10-7 score.
The Wolves used a tiebreaker set of their own to reclaim the lead as the duo of Jeffrey Kiser (Newberry, S.C.) and James Bethea (Newberry, S.C.) scored a 9-8 triumph over Derek Holdway and Dalton Moore. The Newberry tandem took the tiebreaker set by a 10-5 score.
Looking to squash the Eagles' hopes of a win early in the singles flights, Saunders breezed through his No. 1 flight against Davis, scoring an easy 6-1, 6-1 win. Botelho followed suit with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Acker in the No. 2 position to put the Wolves one match away from victory.
With their backs against the wall, the Eagles would not go away without a fight. Chakir dropped a close 7-6, 6-4 match at the No. 3 spot against Holdway and Michael Woolard (Lexington, S.C.) dropped an equally close match to Kira 7-5, 6-0.
Kiser was unable to take a single game from Birdsong, losing 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 5 flight, setting the stage for Sons' deciding match.
The Wolves will return home to wrap up their regular season as they host the non-conference foe King (Tenn.). The match at Cannon Courts is set for 3 p.m. on April 14.
