MONROEVILLE, Pa. - In a frustrating end result but a definitely encouraging opening match on its spring-break "Northern Exposure" trip, the Christopher Newport men's tennis team lost 6-3 to Carnegie Mellon -- the No. 9-ranked squad in NCAA Division III -- Tuesday on indoor courts at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa.
The Captains (4-3) came in ranked 12th in the South Atlantic Region, while the Tartans (7-3) are third in the region. The Pittsburgh powerhouse placed sixth in the recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association national indoor championships at Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota.
Carnegie Mellon took a 1-0 lead as
Alex Nemerov and
Bobby MacTaggart, the Tartans' top two singles players, overcame
Gian Heyer and
Lorenzo Sison 8-3 at second doubles.
Carnegie Mellon then took a commanding 3-0 lead to finishd doubles as
Jeremy King and
Duke Miller edged
Eric Shulman and
Dusty Nelson 9-7 at the top spot.
The Tartans won four of the six first sets in singles, but CNU then rallied against its more credentialed opponent. Shulman won the last 12 games to clobber Nemerov 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 1 position, and Widing scored a notable 6-2, 6-4 victory over MacTaggart in a matchup of No. 2 sluggers. That pulled the Captains within 3-2, though they were behind on the other four courts.
Spero beat Sison 6-3, 6-1 at 4, and Rao clinched the team victory by overcoming Nelson 7-5, 6-4 at 6.
Miller then completed a 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win at 5 over Brown, who saved three match points after being down 6-3 in the tiebreak.
But Heyer -- winning a third-set tiebreak for the third time this season -- edged Muliawan 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 (10-4) at 3 in the last match off the court. The win was especially significant for the Swiss star because Muliawan is a former ITA regional singles champion and indoor national participant.
CNU will travel east but stay in Pennsylvania to play at Dickinson College -- the former training-camp home of the Washington Redskins -- in Carlisle on Thursday.
Singles
1. Shulman (CNU) d. Nemerov 6-1, 6-0.
2. Widing (CNU) d. MacTaggart 6-2, 6-4.
3. Heyer (CNU) d. Muliawan 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 1-0 (10-4).
4. Spero (Car) d. Sison 6-3, 6-1.
5. Miller (Car) d. Brown 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).
6. Harsha Rao (Car) d. Nelson 7-5, 6-4.
Records
Christopher Newport (No. 12 in South Atlantic Region) 4-3, Carnegie Mellon (No. 9 in NCAA Division III; No. 3 in region) 7-3.
