The AU men's tennis team managed to slide past Navy and defeat the Midshipmen, 4-3, for a big Patriot League win at home Sunday. It improved the Eagles' record to 2-0 in the conference and 7-5 overall
The Eagles started off with a quick lead over Navy by sweeping doubles play.
But the singles matches proved to be more complicated. AU senior Juancarlo Vazquez defeated Navy's Jason Hill in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6, and senior Nicolas Frayssinoux did the same to Navy's Nate Nelms to win, 7-6, 6-0.
However, AU freshman Josh Levitz fell to Alex James 6-2, 6-3, and junior Andrew Singer lost to John Waters, 6-4, 6-3. Finally, AU senior Sebastien Proisy was also defeated by Adian Lai, 6-2, 6-3.
With the score tied, the fate of the Eagles rested on junior Jeffrey Schnell, who battled Navy's Stanley Kahl to give AU victory after an intense three sets
Those sets all came down to a single tie-breaker. Schnell came out with the win to take the match, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, and seal the team's victory over Navy.
"This was a big league match and it was a good wake-up call to remind us of how close it can get sometimes," Schnell said.
AU coach Kyle Bailey was satisfied with the win and the team's effort.
"This was a really good win because the guys showed a lot of heart," he said.
Bailey added that the win fueled the team's motivation.
"This is also important because despite the fact that we have had a rough season with a lot of ups and downs this year, we have still found a way to pull through," he said.
Added Schnell: "This win gives us positive momentum heading into our next match, but we still have a long season ahead of us, and we really need to work hard so we can win the entire league."
The victory was especially significant because Navy is third in the PL, trailing only AU and Army. With the Eagles also beating Lafayette, 6-1, Friday, they joined the Black Knights as the only undefeated teams.
Bailey explained that with the Eagle's last trip to the PL championships approaching later in the month, this win was a step in the right direction.
"This match was important because Navy is one of the better teams in the league and this win plays a huge importance in terms of hosting the tournament," he said.
The top-seeded team will host the championship the last weekend in April.
The team will next travel to Bucknell on Wednesday.
