Air Force Academy
Abilene Christian
Falcons Down Abilene Christian, 5-2
2/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 25, 2011
The Air Force men's tennis team won its sixth match of the season with a 5-2 victory over Abilene Christian Friday afternoon at the Academy. The match lasted 5 hours, 15 minutes and the win moved the Falcons to 6-2 this season. ACU, the 13th-ranked Division II team in the country, fell to 2-3.
The Falcons took a 1-0 lead with wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles. Sophomore Lance Wilhelm and freshman Andy Jackson had their six-match win streak snapped with an 8-5 loss to ACU's Hans Hach and Bryan Joiner at No. 1. Freshman Alex Grubbs and Ali Rizvi won 8-6 at No. 3 over Eldad Campbell and John Strahl and senior Taylor Soster and freshman Lucas Marin-Salcedo clinched the point with a 9-7 win over Jake Hendrie and Nick Plum at No. 2.
In singles, the Falcons won four of the six contests, led by Wilhelm, who improved to 8-0 at the No. 1 position with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Hach. Jackson then gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead with a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 3 over Alfredo Desiati.
The Wildcats cut the lead to 3-2 with three-set wins at Nos. 4 and 2. Hendrie beat Grubbs, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 at No. 4 and Campbell beat Marin-Salcedo, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2. Air Force freshman Steven Young clinched the match for the Falcons with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Plum at the No. 6 spot. Another Falcon freshman, Alex Lineberry, won the final match, defeating Joiner, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 at No. 5.
"The doubles point proved to be a big factor in the win today," said Air Force head coach Dan Oosterhous. "We made some changes in our line-up and it worked for us. Every singles match was a battle and Abilene pushed us to the limit."
The Falcons return to action on Friday, March 4 against Lamar Univeristy at the Academy. The match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
Air Force 5, Abilene Christian 2
Friday, Feb. 25, 2011
USAFA, Colo.
Singles
1. Lance Wilhem (AF) def. Hans Hach, 7-6(2), 6-3
2. Eldad Campbell (ACU) def. Lucas Marin-Salcedo, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4,
3. Andy Jackson (AF) def. Alfredo Desiati, 7-5, 6-2
4. Jake Hendrie (ACU) def. Alex Grubbs, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(7)
5. Alex Lineberry (AF) def. Bryan Joiner, 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5)
6. Steven Young (AF) def. Nick Plum, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 4, 2, 6, 5
Doubles
1. Hach / Joiner (ACU) def. Wilhelm / Jackson, 8-5
2. Marin-Salcedo / Taylor Soster (AF) def. Hendrie / Plum, 9-7
3. Grubbs / Ali Rizvi (AF) def. Campbell / John Strahl, 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Players Mentioned
