Two Collegiate Firsts Join Two Season Firsts in Men's Tennis Win Over Ozarks
CONWAY, Ark. -- The John Brown men's tennis team (1-1) picked up its first victory of the year behind the strength of two players landing their respective first-career singles wins, and took a commanding 7-2 win over Ozarks (Ark.) on Saturday (Feb. 20) morning at the Hendrix Tennis Courts.
Remaining perfect on the year, the tandem of freshmen Fernando Hurley and Nathan Kuykendall landed an 8-4 win over Alix Tiegs and Paul Jarvis at the second flight after senior Colton Cheek and sophomore Kumhal Fulghem suffered an 8-1 setback to Dillon Murray and Jacob Organ at the second slot.
The Golden Eagles took a 2-1 lead into singles play when senior Luke Reimer and freshman Matthew Minner (JBU) notched an 8-2 victory over Aaron England and Travis Leach at the bottom slot.
Hurley and Minner joined Kuykendall in notching their first victories this season in singles action. Hurley dispatched Organ in a match tie-break, which he dominated, 10-3. Minner's victory was slightly less dramatic, as he swept past England at the sixth flight. Fulghem and Reimer each posted their respective first wins of the season as well, as Fulghem needed a first-set tiebreaker to drop Tiegs, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Reimer allowed Jarvis just one game in a 6-1, 6-0, easy win.
Kuykendall moved to 2-0 in singles action this year with a 6-0, 6-2, win over Ford.
The Golden Eagles will now take a three-week hiatus from action and return to play on Thursday (March 10) when it will face Oklahoma Baptist and Southwestern (Kan.) in a tri-match, held at OBU in Shawnee, Okla.
