BOX SCORE
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The collective backs of the Lewis University men's tennis team were against the wall, as the Flyers found themselves trailing No. 37 Florida Tech, 4-0.
The Flyers, however, gathered themselves and rallied for five consecutive wins, including fighting off match point four times in the decisive match, en route to the 5-4 non-conference win over the host Panthers on Wednesday (March 3) afternoon.
"I'm so proud of the way our guys overcame adversity today," Lewis head men's tennis coach Brett Bridel said. "It's never a good sign when you lose all three doubles matches, and then drop a singles match right away, as well as having two guys playing injured. Their response was terrific. It's a great day to be a Flyer."
With the win, Lewis improves to 5-2 while the host Panthers, drop to 1-6 overall.
After the early deficit, the Flyers picked up their first win at No. 5 singles as junior Lorenz Pestinger (Bad Homburg, Germany/Humboldtschule/Missouri Valley) earned the 6-2, 6-1 win over Jorge Abarca.
Sophomore Tonis Irdoja (Tallinn, Estonia/Rocca Al Mare Kool) followed suit with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over James McLane at No. 2 singles, while freshman Jesse Hardacre (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) claimed the 7-6 (2), 7-5 win over Yan Carlo Rodriguez at No. 4 singles.
Sophomore Uno Lapimaa (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese) evened up the match at 4-apiece with the 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 come-from-behind win over Jonathan Hanna at No. 1 singles.
The hopes of a Flyer upset rested on the shoulders of junior Michael Wojnarowski (Oak Lawn, Ill./Richards/Moraine Valley C.C.) at No. 3 singles. Wojnarowski, who lost the first set, 6-2, fought back and even held off four match points on the way to the 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory over Drew Hollis.
Lewis opens the outdoor campaign on Friday, March 19th, as the Flyer battle Division I, Northern Illinois at 4 PM.