MARYVILLE – Maryville broke into the Collegiate Conference of the South win column here Thursday afternoon with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Huntingdon on the MC Tennis Courts.
The Scots swept the doubles matches for a 1-0 lead and then split the six singles draws to pocket what could be a key win when pairings are decided for the CCS Tournament. Maryville with the victory moved to 7-5 overall and 1-2 in the league, while Huntingdon dropped to 3-9 and 1-3.
Jackson Meyer and
Field Myatt got Maryville started with a 6-0 sweep at No. 2 doubles.
Eli Cauthorn and
Jonathan Crane followed with a 6-1 victory at No. 3 to wrap up the doubles point, but
James Smith and Luke Romano left no doubt with a 6-4 triumph at the No. 1 position.
"As a group, this was our best effort of the season in doubles," Scots head coach
Doug Corbett said. "I knew Jackson and Field had it in them and they picked a good day to bring it. Luke and James had a great comeback, and we have sort of been lacking that resilience in the doubles sets, so it was great to see."
Singles Showdown
But singles were anything but a walkover.
Smith made the score 2-0 by winning his fifth straight singles match and improving to 9-2 in singles on the season, all at the No. 1 position. He scored a double-bagel over his Huntingdon opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0.
Field Myatt pushed the lead to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph at No. 2, but then the Hawks fought back with victories at No. 3 and No. 4. That is when Meyer settled things at No. 5 with a convincing 7-5, 6-0 win at No. 5 to hand Maryville its clinching point.
"You certainly felt the momentum shift Huntingdon's way when the match went from 3-0 to 3-2," Corbett said. "I am really proud of Jackson for embracing the moment and playing some of his best tennis. He has shown tons of improvement in singles matches this season."
The Scots return to action Saturday in a 3 p.m. home match against Johnson & Wales-Charlotte. The Wildcats enter at 4-5 after their 7-0 victory Saturday against Methodist.
