Falcons Fall to Rhode Island, 4-3

March 18, 2008

The Air Force men's tennis team just missed winning its third consecutive match Tuesday, dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision to the University of Rhode Island at the Academy. The Falcons, who lost their third 4-3 match of the season, fell to 9-7 overall, while URI improved to 12-3.

Rhode Island won the important doubles point when the Rams' No. 2 team of Adam Gart and James McGuire pulled out a 9-8 victory (7-5 in the tiebreaker) over AFA sophomore Austin Francis and freshman Alex Beaussart. Air Force had won the No. 1 match as sophomore Brett Rodgers and freshman Taylor Soster won their fifth consecutive match, defeating Jared Dorfman and Jeff Cote, 8-6, and URI won at No. 3 when Nicholai Hill and Dixon Simmons beat sophomore Mike Gies and freshman Johnny Buckingham, 8-6.

The six singles matches were just as competitive, with each team winning three. Rodgers led off by winning his fifth straight contest, defeating Dorfman, 6-4, 6-2, at the No. 1 spot. Soster (No. 3) and Buckingham (No. 5) followed suit by winning their matches, each in three sets after losing the first set. Soster defeated Henrik Alsmtrom, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Buckingham downed Andrew Costin, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Cote won at No. 2 for URI, 6-3, 7-6 over Francis and Gart beat AFA sophomore James Tomlin, 7-6(8), 7-5 at No. 4. A.J. Nelson clinched the match for the Rams with an exciting, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Beaussart at No. 6.

The Falcons are back in action on Thursday, March 20 against Northern Arizona, beginning at 2 p.m.

Rhode Island 4, Air Force 3
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Air Force Academy

Singles
1. Brett Rodgers (AF) def. Jared Dorfman, 6-4, 6-2
2. Jeff Cote (URI) def. Austin Francis, 6-3, 7-6(8)
3. Taylor Soster (AF) def. Henrik Almstrom, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Adam Gart (URI) def. James Tomlin, 7-6(8), 7-5
5. Johnny Buckingham (AF) def. Andrew Costin, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. A.J. Nelson (URI) def. Alex Beaussart, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
1. Rodgers/Soster (AF) def. Dorfman/Cote, 8-6
2. Gart/McGuire (URI) def. Francis/Beaussart, 9-8(5)
3. Simmons/Hill (URI) def. Gies/Buckingham, 8-6

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Players Mentioned

Alex Beaussart

Johnny Buckingham

Austin Francis

Brett Rodgers

Taylor Soster

James Tomlin

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