Air Force Academy
Army
Falcons Down Army, 6-1
2/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 20, 2011
The Air Force men's tennis team snapped its two-match losing streak Sunday with a decisive 6-1 victory over service academy rival Army at Lichtenberg Tennis Center on the campus of West Point. The Falcons, who improved to 5-2 and defeated the Black Knights for the second straight season, swept all six singles matches after Army claimed the doubles point.
Sophomore Lance Wilhelm and freshman Andy Jackson, ranked No. 7 in the Mountain Region, improved to 6-1 at No. 1 doubles with an 8-5 victory over Tripp Johnson and Rommel Verano. Alex Holland and Andrew Clark defeated Falcon freshmen Lucas Marin-Salcedo and Danny Gies, 9-7, at the No. 3 spot, then Army clinched the point when Henry Jang-Milsten and Donald Van Velzer edged senior Taylor Soster and freshman Alex Grubbs, 9-8(5), at No. 2.
The Falcons rallied in a big way in singles play, winning all six matches, four of them in straight sets. Wilhelm remained undefeated at the No. 1 position, defeating Asika Isoh 7-6, 6-7, (10-1). Three freshmen, Marin-Salcedo (No. 2), Jackson (No. 3) and Grubbs (No. 4), each won in straight sets and Soster won his final match against the Black Knights with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Jang-Milsten at No. 5. Cramping forced Verano to retire at No. 6 singles, giving Air Force freshman Steven Young the victory.
The meeting between the service academies was only the seventh all-time in program history. With the victory, Air Force improved to 5-2 against the Black Knights.
"This was a great team effort today," said Air Force head coach Dan Oosterhous. "Our motto this season is `Outlast' and that's exactly what we did to our opponent today."
The Falcons return to action Friday, Feb. 25 against Abilene Christian at the Academy. The match is scheduled to start at 12 p.m.
Air Force 6, Army 1
Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011
West Point, NY
Singles
1. Lance Wilhelm (AF) def. Asika Isoh, 7-6, 6-7, 10-1
2. Lucas Marin-Salcedo (AF) def. Donald Van Velzer, 6-4, 6-2
3. Andy Jackson (AF) def. Tripp Johnson, 6-4, 7-5
4. Alex Grubbs (AF) def. Alex Holland, 6-4, 6-4
5. Taylor Soster (AF) def. Henry Jang-Milsten, 6-1, 6-4
6. Steven Young (AF) def. Rommel Verano, 3-6, 5-5 (ret.)
Doubles
1. Wilhelm / Jackson (AF) def. Johnson / Verano, 8-5
2. Jang-Milsten / Van Velzer (Army) def. Soster / Grubbs, 9-8(5)
3. Holland / Andrew Clark (Army) def. Marin-Salcedo / Danny Gies, 9-7
Players Mentioned
