HAINES CITY, Fla. - The Haverford College Men's Tennis team (3-3), receiving votes in the latest ITA Coaches Poll, competed in their second and third matches of their spring break trip, defeating Birmingham Southern 8-1 in Lakeland, Florida before taking down Ithaca by a 7-2 final in Haines City, Florida.
(RV) Haverford 8, Birmingham Southern 1
Doubles action started the day, as the team of James McKenzie and Kirin Eicher earned Haverford's first point of the day defeating the pair of Tanner DeBardelaben and Tom Smith 8-6 in a close battle. The Panthers gained their first point of the day in the very next match, as the duo of Sam Tolbert and Ryan King took down Adam Chow and Justin Minerva 8-3.
In the third and decisive doubles match of the morning, the pairing of Marko Aboleda and Aiden Kim prevailed over Reed Martinson and Callum Searle 8-6, to give Haverford a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard.
In singles play, Kim earned his second point of the day for the Scarlet and Black, defeating DeBardelaben 6-1, 6-1. McKenzie also made quick work of his opponent, vanquishing Martinson 6-2, 6-2, to push Haverford's lead to a commanding 4-1.
In the fifth flight, Niki Lavu got past Callum Searle 7-5, 6-0, to hand the Fords a vital fifth point on the day. Three Two-set sweeps the finished the day off for the Scarlet and Black, as Chait Krishna (defeated Tom Smith 6-4, 6-2), Minerva (defeated Ryan King 7-5, 6-4), and Arboleda (defeated Sam Tolbert 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)) all picked up victories in singles play.
(RV) Haverford 7, Ithaca 2
To start off the match in doubles play, James McKenzie and Kirin Eicher were defeated 8-4, before Marko Arboleda and Aiden Kim leveled the match 1-1 after winning their contest 8-5. In a tough battle in the second flight of doubles action, Adam Chow and Justin Minerva fell 8-7 in a tiebreaker, as the Bombers took a 2-1 lead into singles play.
Those two doubles points were all Ithaca would pick up on the evening, as Niki Lavu kept up his stellar play from the Birmingham Southern match by picking up a 6-0, 6-1 win to even the match score at 2-2. Following a 6-4 win in the first set, Kim picked up his second victory of the match due to retirement form his opponent to give the Scarlet and Black a 3-2 lead.
Chaitanya Krishna earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory to extend the Haverford advantage to 4-2, while McKenize's 6-0, 6-2 victory, increased the Fords' lead to 5-2.
In what was a back-and-forth battle in the third flight, Minerva edged out his counterpart in a second set tiebreaker, to win 6-1, 7-6 (7-5 Super Tiebreaker), to create a four-point gap in the total score, 6-2.
All eyes were on the relentless singles match that went on in flight one, as Arboleda dropped set one 6-1 to his opponent. The first-year would rally back in the second set, winning 7-5, to force a crucial tiebreaker in set three. After being down 9-4, Arboleda was able to claw all the way back and pick up a 15-13 set three victory in dramatic fashion, to claim an amazing battle 6-1, 7-5, 1-0 (15-13).
After a well deserved off day on Wednesday, Men's Tennis will return to action Thursday, March 14, as they challenge Division I Colgate at 9 a.m. at Wynee Warden Tennis Center on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.