HILLSBORO & WICHITA, Kan. -- After running past Tabor (Kan.) by a 6-1 score, the John Brown University men's tennis team finished off an undefeated weekend with another 6-1 win over Friends (Kan.) on Saturday (March 8), at the Hillsboro Sports Complex and the Riverside Tennis Center, respectively, to sweep its second road trip of the season through Kansas.
The Golden Eagles (6-5) opened its matchup with the Bluejauys by capturing the doubles point with victories at the top two flights. Sophomore Brady Dick and junior Spencer Keeter set the tone with a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles, followed by sophomore Negad Ezzat and freshman Lucas Machado securing the doubles point with an identical 6-3 victory at the second flight. Tabor (1-2) avoided the sweep when Jake Goertzen and John Ferley edged junior Jonathan Hillock and sophomore Andrew Aylor in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4), at the third position.
Sophomore Dick quickly extended the JBU advantage in singles play, dominating at the third flight with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Alexandre Bolijesic. The Bluejays responded when Ko Osuga defeated Ezzat 6-3, 6-4 at the top singles spot, trimming the Golden Eagles' lead to 2-1.
Freshman Machado pushed the John Brown advantage to 3-1 after battling through a first-set tiebreaker and then cruising in the second set for a 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 win at the fourth flight. The Golden Eagles clinched the match at No. 2 singles, where Keeter handled Ethan Kutz 6-4, 6-1, securing the team victory.
With the match decided, JBU continued its dominance as Hillock posted a 6-0, 6-0 shutout at the sixth position, and junior Hayes Stark completed the contest with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles.
Later in the day against Friends, the Golden Eagles (7-5) jumped to an early advantage when Ezzat and Machado dominated at the second doubles flight with a 6-1 win. Friends responded as Enric Galan and Connor Fitzsimmons handled Hillock and Aylor 6-2 at the third position, leveling the doubles action at 1-1. Dick and Keeter then secured the crucial doubles point for JBU with a 6-4 victory at the top flight.
Machado carried the momentum into singles play with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 performance at the fourth spot, extending the John Brown lead to 2-0. Hillock followed with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph at the sixth flight to push the advantage to 3-0. The Falcons (1-4) kept its hopes alive when Cristobal Fuentes defeated Ezzat 6-3, 6-3 at the top singles position, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The Golden Eagles clinched the match at No. 5 singles as Stark disposed of Jacob Bush 6-2, 6-2, securing the victory. With the outcome decided, Dick rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-4 comeback win at the third flight, while Keeter closed out the day with a 3-6, 6-4, 10-5 victory at the second position.
JBU returns to action next weekend when the Golden Eagles travel to Lawrence, Kan. to take on Grand View (Iowa), Missouri Valley and Baker (Kan.) at the Genesis Health Club.
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