DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drake men's tennis team was just a few points away from upsetting No. 36 Old Dominion, but ultimately fell 4-3 in the Bulldogs' opening match of the day. Drake closed out its Saturday with a 5-2 win over UMKC.
Old Dominion took an early 1-0 lead as the Monarchs managed to win the doubles point.
Finley Hall fell behind early, 4-1, but surged back to win the first set 6-4 and then took the second set 6-4 at No. 6 singles to put the Bulldogs on the board.
Ben Wood put the Bulldogs up 2-1 with his 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles.
The Monarchs regained the lead, 3-2, after earning wins on court No. 4 and No. 1, respectively.
After dropping a tough tiebreaker in the opening set,
Barny Thorold came back to win the final two sets 6-3, 6-2 to earn his first win over a nationally ranked opponent and tie the match up at three all.
The decisive match point came down to a third set tiebreaker as ODU's Vincent Schneider was able to edge
Tom Hands 7-5 in the breaker to clinch the Monarchs' 4-3 win.
In the night cap the Bulldogs came out strong and swept all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead.
Hands made quick work of Tom Kruse, 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to put Drake up 2-0.
Minutes later,
Freddie Powell completed his straight set victory over Anil Patel, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
Wood then clinched the Bulldog victory as he defeated Hunter Clark, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5.
Vinny Gillespie earned Drake's final win of the day, beating Alex Pozo, 6-4, 7-6 at No. 2.
The Bulldogs close out their home schedule on Saturday, April 14 when they host Wichita State and Valparaiso at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
#36 Old Dominion 4, Drake 3
Apr 07, 2018 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Adam Moundir (ODU) def. Vinny Gillespie (DU) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2. Barny Thorold (DU) def. #89 Aziz Kijametovic (ODU) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2 |
| 3. Vincent Schneider (ODU) def. Tom Hands (DU) 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 (7-5) |
| 4. Francois Musitelli (ODU) def. Ben Clark (DU) 6-3, 7-5 |
| 5. Ben Wood (DU) def. Jannik Giesse (ODU) 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 |
| 6. Finley Hall (DU) def. Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) 6-4, 6-4 |
| Match Notes |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,5,4,1,2,3) |
Drake 5, UMKC 2
Apr 07, 2018 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Airam Castellano (UMKC) def. Barny Thorold (DU) 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2. Vinny Gillespie (DU) def. Alex Pozo (UMKC) 6-4, 7-6 |
| 3. Tom Hands (DU) def. Tom Kruse (UMKC) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 4. Diego Giraldo (UMKC) def. Ben Clark (DU) 7-6, 6-3 |
| 5. Ben Wood (DU) def. Hunter Clark (UMKC) 6-3, 6-4 |
| 6. Freddie Powell (DU) def. Anil Patel (UMKC) 6-3, 6-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,6,5,2,4,1) |
