TOPEKA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The 24th-ranked McPherson College men's tennis team captured its fourth straight Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Men's Tennis Tournament title in dramatic fashion, edging (RV) Bethany College, 5-4, Saturday afternoon at Kossover Tennis Center.
Freshman
Julien Bodin (Cartagena, Spain, Las Salinas) overcame a 4-1 deficit in the third set at No. 4 singles to provide the clinching point.
The Bulldogs (14-3) grabbed a 2-1 lead after doubles, splitting 8-6 decisions on courts two and three, while
Ahmed Lahlou (Casablanca, Morocco, Groupe Scolaire Anfa) and
Hector Carrillo Perales (Barcelona, Spain, Bon Salvador) gutted out a 9-8 (4) win over Ryan Telesford and Andreas Ricaurte on court one.
Switching over to singles, Hugo Pallez evened the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over
Jacob Turley (Milton Keynes, England, Cedars Upper School) on court three. Lahlou put McPherson back out in front moments later with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Nino Krneta on court one.
The Swedes (14-2) retook the lead with wins on courts two and six. Alejandro Viedma defeated
Andreas Huber (Forstinning, Germany, Franz-Marc-Gymnasium), 6-4, 6-4, on court six, while Teodor Antelj topped Carrillo, 6-3, 7-5, on court two.
Juan Alejandro Jimenez (Pereira, Colombia, Liceo Taller San Miguel) drew the Bulldogs even overall with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Edward Sengai on court five in a match that - at points - seemed headed for a third set itself.
That left the match on court four between Bodin and Ricaurte to decide the championship. Bodin scored a 7-5 win in the opening set only to see Ricaurte bounce back with a 6-2 win in the second set. Playing nearly the entirety of the third set with the focus solely on them, both players gutted through leg cramps. Ricaurte built a 4-1 lead but successive break-and-holds by Bodin put the Bulldog up 5-4, needing a break of serve for the title.
Bodin won the first two points before Ricaurte went down with another cramp. Ricaurte was assessed a point penalty for a time delay to give Bodin triple match point. To his credit, Ricaurte toed the service line, but a double fault gave Bodin the point and McPherson the title.
The Bulldogs advance to the 2018 NAIA Men's Tennis Championships May 15-19 at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama. McPherson is 1-3 in its previous three appearances. Last year, the Bulldogs dropped a 5-4 decision to No. 13 San Diego Christian in the first round.
#24 McPherson College 5, RV Bethany College 4
4/28/2018 at Topeka, Kan. (Kossover Tennis Center)Â
Â
| Singles competition |
| 1. Ahmed Lahlou (MCPH) def. Nino Krneta (BTHY) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 2. Teodor Antelj (BTHY) def. Hector Carrillo (MCPH) 6-3, 7-5 |
| 3. Hugo Pallez (BTHY) def. Jacob Turley (MCPH) 6-2, 6-1 |
| 4. Julien Bodin (MCPH) def. Andreas Ricaurte (BTHY) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 |
| 5. Juan Jimenez (MCPH) def. Edward Sengai (BTHY) 6-2, 7-5 |
| 6. Alejandro Viedma (BTHY) def. Andreas Huber (MCPH) 6-4, 6-4 |
Â
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Ahmed Lahlou/Hector Carrillo (MCPH) def. Ryan Telesford/Andreas Ricaurte (BTHY) 9-8 (7-4) |
| 2. Jacob Turley/Andreas Huber (MCPH) def. Hugo Pallez/Edward Sengai (BTHY) 8-6 |
| 3. Nino Krneta/Teodor Antelj (BTHY) def. Julien Bodin/Daan Coppelmans (Waalre, The Netherlands, Sint-Joriscollege Eindhoven) (MCPH) 8-6 |
Â
| Match Notes |
| Bethany College 14-2 |
| McPherson College 14-3; National ranking #24 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,1,6,2,5,4) |
| KCAC Tournament Championship Match |
| Bethany RV in latest NAIA Coaches' Poll |
