Bison Tennis Rolls on With 5-4 Win Over Saint Vincent
April 18 – LATROBE, Pa. – The Bethany College men's tennis team continued their winning ways, defeating Saint Vincent College, 5-4, on Monday afternoon in Latrobe. The win gives the Bison five-consecutive victories over conference opponents.
The difference in the matchup came in doubles action, where the Bison captured two of the three possible points. The No. 3 doubles team of Jack Waters (Epsom, United Kingdom/Glyn School) and Marcus Hooks (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) earned the most lopsided victory of the day, defeating Pat McGee and Dalton Yezovich by an 8-2 score.
The other doubles matches came down to the wire, with the two schools splitting the first and second flights. The host Bearcats picked up the win at No. 1 doubles, as the team of Ryan Hartz and Jonathan Prichard handed freshmen Rhone Thrash (Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg) and Drake Berlin (Washington, Ohio/Washington Court House) just their second loss of the season, 9-7.
At No. 2 doubles, senior Kyle Booker (Forest Park, Ga./Forest Park) and sophomore Chris Ray (Henrico, Va./Mills E. Godwin) found themselves knotted at 8-8 with Saint Vincent's Scott Reichard and Zach Fox. However, the duo would take the point by winning the tiebreak, 7-2, improving to 9-2 on the year.
In singles play, the two programs split the six possible points, with three of the flights needing a "pro set" tiebreak to decide a victor. Of the three straight-set victories, Ray earned a 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 5 singles.
Waters and Booker were the remaining two double winners for the Bison. Waters took down Yezovich in three sets at No. 6 singles. The junior won the first set 6-4, before falling 6-1 to force a tiebreak. Waters then improved his record to 5-1 on the year, winning the tiebreak 10-7.
Likewise, Booker needed a pro set to dispatch of Reichard in the third flight. Reichard won the first set by a 6-3 score, before Booker rallied to take set two, 6-3. The two then played close in the tiebreak, with Booker capturing the 10-8 win, improving his singles mark to 8-3.
A few of the Bison remain red hot as they head down the home stretch in preparation for the PAC Championship Tournament. With just two matches remaining, Waters has captured 11 matches in a row between doubles and singles play.
With just two matches remaining in the regular season, the Bison sit in a tie for second place with Washington & Jefferson at 5-1 in conference play. The two programs will collide on Wednesday, April 20, when the Bison travel to Washington, Pa. The match is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start.
