Men's Tennis Wins 4-3 Thriller at Mercer Tuesday Morning

MACON, Ga. – For the second consecutive match, the Belmont University men's tennis team gritted out a 4-3 victory Tuesday morning at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Freshman Morgan Woodson came back from a set down and clinched the match at No. 4 singles in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker that went the distance and some.
 
The Bruins (6-8) trailed the host Bears (4-6) 2-0 at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center but got big responses in singles play from juniors Sabi Roi and Eli Mizerski and freshmen Charlie Robin and Woodson.
 
"I'm really proud of the guys and their response after falling behind early," said head coach Jeff Cero after the win. "Sabi (Roi) got us on the board and Eli (Mizerski) and Charlie (Robin) played really strong tennis. Morgan (Woodson) did a great job closing out the match after being down match point; he showed a lot of heart as a freshman in a pressure situation. We're looking forward to tomorrow's match."
 
Mercer took the doubles point by only dropping four combined games across the top two spots and the Bears' Tom Hagelauer secured the second point with a straight-set triumph at No. 5 singles against sophomore Stefan Vedovelli. Roi made it 2-1 with Belmont's first win at No. 3 singles as he took care of Mercer's Prince Gandonou 6-3, 7-5.
 
At sixth singles, Mizerski outlasted the Bears' Shingo Masuda 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 right before Mercer collected its third point of the day at the top singles spot. Nemanja Stefanovic defeated junior Esunge Ndumbe in straight sets to give the Bears a 3-2 lead.
 
Both Robin and Woodson came back from a set down on courts two and four, respectively. At the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Robin topped Isak Padio 7-5 and 6-3 in sets two and three after a 6-4 opening set loss. Against Mercer's Marceau Fouilhoux, Woodson overcame a 7-5 first set setback with a dominant 6-2 second set. In the deciding third set for the whole match, Woodson prevailed 9-7 in an intense tiebreaker.
 
Up Next
The Bruins' busy week on the road continues Wednesday afternoon when Belmont visits Alabama State. First serve from the Olean Black Underwood Tennis Center in Montgomery, Alabama, is scheduled for 1 p.m. On Thursday, the Bruins head to nationally-ranked Auburn.
 
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