NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's tennis defeated Butler, 4-2, Sunday afternoon from Centennial Sportsplex.
Belmont has now won five consecutive matches dating back to Feb. 8.
The result did not come easily against the formidable Big East side that won 21 matches last season.
Despite a commanding 6-0 win from senior Felix Rauch (Osterode, Germany) and junior Taisei Miyamoto (Chiba, Japan), Butler earned the doubles' point.
Nevertheless, Belmont responded quickly, as freshman Arthur Toledo (Greenacres, Fla.) continued his high-caliber campaign with a straight-sets victory over Drew Michael at third singles.
From there, Rauch and junior Marko Ilic (Zagreb, Croatia) gutted out a number of crucial pressure points to earn three-set wins.
The stage was set for junior Jake Briggs (Marietta, Ga.) to clinch the match, and he did so with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 win over Olof Wiklund.
"It was a great weekend for our program," Belmont Director of Tennis Mauricio Antun said. "We defeated two quality teams and really showed what we are made of. The guys adapted well to lineup changes at a moment's notice, and Jake (Briggs) and David (Faulkner) in particular rose to the occasion. This gives us an opportunity to mentally and physically prepare for another weekend of strong competition."
Belmont (8-3) returns to action Friday, March 6 at Lipscomb. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT.
