SALISBURY, Md. The Methodist men's tennis team opened its spring break trip on Friday afternoon with a non-conference matchup against Salisbury University. Despite a competitive contest that featured three tie-break doubles matches, the Sea Gulls came away with a 5–2 victory over the Monarchs at the SU Outdoor Tennis Center.
Following the match, assistant coach
Brett Karpman praised the team's performance and effort.
"I thought it was another great showing by the men's team," said Karpman. "The match came down to the wire and could have gone either way. I couldn't be more proud of the team's effort and fight as we continue to build momentum heading into conference play."
JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: Salisbury def. Methodist, 5–2
Records: Methodist 1–2; Salisbury 3–1
Location: SU Outdoor Tennis Center; Salisbury, Maryland
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The match began with a tightly contested doubles session, as all three courts were decided by tie-breakers. The rookie tandem of Billy Johnson and Andrew Wadill, playing on court three, finished first but fell to Maas Jacobs and Chase Catullo, 7–6 (7–5).
- Methodist answered on the top court, where Harry Crokam and Aaron Zoubek evened the doubles score with a 7–6 (9–7) victory over Gurv Suri and Aron Bursztyn.
- Salisbury ultimately secured the doubles point at No. 2, as Bobby Stabile and Nicholas O'Dea defeated Matthew Hurley and Decklan Rayner, 7–6 (7–2).
- The Sea Gulls extended their lead to 3–0 with victories at No. 6 and No. 3 singles before Crokam put the Monarchs on the board. Competing at No. 2 singles, Crokam battled through three sets to defeat O'Dea, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4.
- After Salisbury clinched the match with its fourth team point, Methodist added another win when Matthew Hurley—ranked No. 37 in Division III singles—claimed a hard-fought victory at the top flight. Hurley dropped a close first set 6–7 (4–7) but rallied to take the final two sets, 6–4 and 6–1.
UP NEXT
Methodist returns to Salisbury's campus on Saturday, March 7, for a neutral-site matchup against Gettysburg College. First serve is scheduled for 11 AM.
