Falcons Post 5-2 Win Over Montana State

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force men's tennis notched a 5-2 win over Montana State (6-6) Sunday morning in non-conference at the USAFA Indoor Tennis Courts. The win lifted the Falcons to 5-7 on the season.

The Falcons opened by taking the doubles point and immediately clinched by winning the first three singles matches.

Air Force got wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles. AJ Moore and Tyler Leaird opened with a win at No. 3 over Dario Ciobotaru/Kanika Jayathilake 6-2. Phillip Deaton and Kyle Garner won at No. 2 over Andre Steward/Rayen Hermassi 6-2 to clinch the point.

In singles, Alec Fritzinger won the first doubles point with a win at No. 4 over Andre Stewart 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. Arjun Kersten followed with a win at No. 2 over Dario Ciobotaru 3-6, 6-0, 6-4. Phillip Deaton clinched the match with a win at No. 1 over Max Relic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Leaird won his first-career dual singles match at No. 6 over Jacob Huppin 6-2, 6-2.

Head Coach Evan Urbina on the win:
"I am proud of our team and how we responded to adversity. We've had a few tough losses in a row, but we knew we could play better together as a team. We improved from Friday night through our energy, our competitive desire, and it showed in our performance on court.

Arjun and AJ won second sets after losing the first. Getting into matches and working our way to playing better has been a point of emphasis for us. Our freshmen, Alec Fritzinger and Tyler Leaird, led the way with solid performances from beginning to end.

We are eager to keep improving as we compete against top 25 in-state rival Denver at home next Saturday at noon."

Air Force returns to action Saturday, March 16, hosting Denver.

Montana State vs. Air Force Results:

Doubles
1. Arjun Kersten/Jack Brown (AF) vs. Max Relic/Andras Necz (MSU) 3-4, unfinished
2. Phillip Deaton/Kyle Garner (AF) def. Andre Stewart/Rayen Hermassi (MSU) 6-2
3. AJ Moore/Tyler Leaird (AF) def. Dario Ciobotaru/Kanika Jayathilake (MSU) 6-2
Order: 3, 2

Singles
1. Phillip Deaton (AF) def. Max Relic (MSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Arjun Kersten (AF) def. Dario Ciobotaru (MSU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
3. Andras Necz (MSU) def. AJ Moore (AF) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Alec Fritzinger (AF) def. Andre Stewart (MSU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
5. Rayen Hermassi (MSU) def. Kyle Garner (AF) 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 1-0 (10-6)
6. Tyler Leaird (AF) def. Jacob Huppin (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
Order: 4, 2, 1, 3, 6, 5

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Jack Brown

Phillip Deaton

Alec Fritzinger

Kyle Garner

Arjun Kersten

Tyler Leaird

AJ Moore

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