The Oglethorpe men's tennis team swept their two dual matches on the final day of their spring break trip in central Florida. They outlasted Wheaton (Illinois) 5-4 Tuesday afternoon before dispatching Messiah 7-2 in the evening to end their trip 3-1 and improve to 5-1 on the season.
The Petrels began their day at the Star Island Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, against a game Wheaton squad. The two teams waged an exciting, back-and-forth tennis match, but in the end, it came down to three tiebreaks, all of which the Stormy Petrels won. Senior C.J. Antonio, No. 23 in the nation and No. 5 in the Atlantic South region, had his hands full with Wheaton's Justin Ancona at No. 1 singles. Ancona won the first set 6-3 and, though Antonio forced a third-set super tiebreak with a 6-4 win in the second, Ancona had Antonio on the ropes, down 9-6 in the tiebreak and facing triple match point. Antonio valiantly fought back, though, taking the next five points to turn the tables and take the tiebreak 11-9 and the match 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (9).
Sophomore Rhys Richardson was involved in the other super tiebreak of the singles competition. His No. 3 match unfolded in the opposite fashion of Antonio's as he went ahead with a 6-4 win in the first set, but then dropped the second, which led to the tiebreak. Richardson won the super tiebreak 10-7, though, securing the match 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (7).
The other tiebreak happened in the doubles competition at the No. 2 slot. Sophomore Judd Motz and senior Briton Richardson faced difficult competition from the Thunder's No. 2 team. Tied 8-8, the match went to a tiebreak to decide it. The tiebreak didn't offer much to separate the two pairs, either, but Motz and Richardson eventually prevailed 9-7 to win the match 9-8 (7).
Freshmen Richard Johnson and Michael Allen formed the No. 3 doubles team, which dispatched their opponents 8-3. That gave the Petrels a 2-1 lead headed into the singles competition, as Antonio and Rhys Richardson stuggled at No. 1 doubles against a tough Wheaton pair.
In addition to Antonio and Rhys Richardson, the Petrels got their third singles win from Briton Richardson in the No. 5 slot. He clinched the match for the Petrels with a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
Against Messiah, the Petrels jumped out to a 3-0 lead after doubles and were able to use some of their depth in the singles portion of the dual match, getting some match time for players who had not yet seen the court during the trip.
Antonio and Rhys Richardson won 8-2 at No. 1, Motz and Briton Richardson took the No. 2 doubles match 8-3, and Johnson and senior Matt Roberson paired up for the first time this season and won 8-3 at No. 3.
Motz moved up to the No. 1 spot in singles, freshman Michael Santaloci to No. 2, Briton Richardson to No. 3, and Johnson to No. 4. Roberson and Allen slotted in at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively. The Petrels got straight-set wins from Santaloci (6-2, 6-0), Richardson (6-1, 6-1), Johnson (6-1, 6-1), and Allen (6-1, 6-4). Roberson and Motz both suffered from cramps during their matches, with Motz retiring and Roberson falling 6-3, 6-2.
"Overall, the men had an excellent day," said Oglethorpe head coach Peter Howell. "We won another barn-burner of a match against Wheaton to start the day, winning three tiebreaks to secure victory. I'm very proud of C.J., Rhys and Briton/Judd. If any one of them had lost their tiebreak, all of which were decided by no more than three points, we'd have lost the dual match. All showed great determination and toughness in pulling out the victory."
"I was also pleased to see some different guys get in the match against Messiah," Howell continued. "We've got a great group of guys waiting in the wings, and it shows how much depth we have when we can win a match 7-2 without our No. 1 and 3 players in singles."
The Petrels will now return home to take on Division I Citadel in their home opener Sunday. That match is scheduled to get started at 9 a.m. from the Downing Howell Courts. After that, they'll travel to Demorest, Georgia, to take on regionally-ranked Piedmont later in the week.
