Cougar Netters Split OVC Pair
RICHMOND, Ky. - The SIUE men's tennis team split its pair of road matches in the Ohio Valley Conference with a win over Morehead State and a loss to Eastern Kentucky.
The Cougars (4-10, 2-4 OVC) opened the weekend with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Morehead State (8-8, 1-3 OVC) Saturday afternoon.
"We knew it was going to be a tough environment at Morehead, so I was anxious to see how we would respond on the court," said SIUE Head Coach Jason Coomer. "Our players' ability to maintain their composure was the reason we got the win."
Despite being swept in doubles, which was played indoors, SIUE stormed back winning the final four singles matches to clinch the conference victory.
Nicolas Vincent dominated his match at the No. 3 spot against Seve Day winning 6-1, 6-2 to give SIUE its first point trailing 3-1.
"Nicolas showed little weakness in his game, and played his best match since arriving at SIUE," added Coomer.
In a strange finish, Devan Faulkenberg got another point for the Cougars when his opponent Kevin Deligny was assessed a default penalty in the third set with Faulkenberg leading 2-1.
"Devan shined at MSU," said Coomer. "He played a very intelligent match, and made the necessary adjustments to get through with a win."
Jacob Tanulanond evened the score 3-3 when he picked up a 6-4, 7-5 win for SIUE over MSU's Nathan Martin at No. 5 singles.
Marten Jonsson needed three sets to defeat the Eagles' Justin Harlow at the No. 1 position 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 for his third-straight win, getting the clinching point for the Cougars.
"With his back against the wall, Marten found a way to finish off his match. He showed why he is one of the strongest players in the OVC," said Coomer.
On Sunday, SIUE faced the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky (14-7, 4-1 OVC) and dropped a 6-1 decision.
The lone point for the Cougars came when Stephen Washuta outlasted EKU's Craig Campbell in three sets winning 6-3, 0-6, 1-0 (10-8).
SIUE returns to the court for a mid-week match at home against Western Illinois Wednesday.
