Eagles Dig Deep, Down Lancers, 6-3

Results

(4/2/07 - Men's Tennis) IRVINE - With their leader ailing and having suffered his first loss of the season, 20th-ranked Concordia dug deep and earned a hard-fought 6-3 win over visiting California Baptist, Monday afternoon at the Lower Peters Canyon Courts.

Junior Tim Kpulun, ranked #3 in the latest ITA men's singles rankings, took the court against Alessandro Ventre at #1 singles, but an injured calf kept the Eagles undefeated standout from playing at full strength as he suffered his first defeat of the season, 6-4, 6-3.

Augusto Elias and Bryan Newell each posted straight-sets wins at #2 and #5, respectively, but Chris Nguyen came up just shy at #4 to level the match at two points each.

While Daniel Ndlela struggled through his first set at #3, Jared Haley dropped a tiebreaker at #6 to see the Eagles with their backs against the wall and a potential first-ever NAIA Tournament berth slipping away.

The fighting spirit that has seen the team push the top teams in the GSAC all season was once again evident as both players bounced back with second-set victories. WIth momentum on their side, Ndlela did not drop a game in his third set while Haley lost just one game to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead.

Haley and Newell clinched the win at #3 doubles with a 8-4 win over Travis Aballi and Jaco Gerbrands. Kpulun bounced back with Elias and earned a point at #2 over Ventre and Vitaly Polezhaev, 8-6.

"This is a team with real heart," said head coach John Norton, who has his team on the verge of the national stage in just its second season of existence. "They seemed fearless today, going after shots, cutting off volleys, and really getting aggressive at the right moments. Reckless aggression in tennis can kill a player and a team, but today the aggression, the explosive energy was perfectly times, and the guys captured a well-earned victory.

Concordia (13-8, 4-3) is now just one game behind third-place Vanguard, a team the Eagles meet in the regular season finale in Costa Mesa on Saturday, April 14. Before then, the Eagles visit La Sierra for a non-conference clash three days prior at 4:00 p.m.