Men's Tennis Inches Closer Against Southwestern Christian
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Although the John Brown men's tennis team (2-8) finished the regular season on a three-match skid, the Golden Eagles inched closer to knocking off Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Saturday (April 16) morning, but fell just short, 5-4, at the JBU Tennis Courts.
In its last outing, a 7-2 setback at SCU, just freshman Nathan Kuykendall was able to pick up a singles victory. This time around, however, freshman Matthew Minner picked up his second win of the season at the bottom flight by taking out Rodrigo Llanzena, 6-1, 6-4. Kuykendall finished the regular season on a personal three-match winning streak in singles action, capped off by a 4-6, 6-3 (10-1) win over Isaiah Island at the fourth slot.
JBU also picked up a pair of doubles victories, claiming a win at two and three. At two, Kuykendall and freshman Fernando Hurley edged out SCU's Stephen Baker and Brady Matthews, 8-6, to finish the regular season at 6-4 as a duo. At the third flight, Minner and senior Luke Reimer grabbed their third win of the season in dramatic fashion by knocking off Rodrigo Reyes and Llazena, 9-8 (7-2).
Armed with some momentum, the Golden Eagles will now face SCU for a third-consecutive time on Thursday (April 21) at the Arlington Tennis Center as part of the NAIA Unaffiliated Regional Tournament quarterfinals. First serve is slated for 4 p.m.
