After being down 3-0 the Patriots men's tennis team bounced back with two straight wins but the Midshipmen (17-7) edged Mason 4-3 this afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center in Annapolis.
The doubles point remained undecided until the third and final match was completed. The Patriots team of Joe Hill and James Lange would win at No. 1 doubles (6-2) and Navy won the No. 2 doubles match (6-3), but the Mids secured the doubles point when their No. 3 tandem of Andrey Majkic and Thomas Pecor defeated Giuliano Buzoianu and Daniel Gutierrez by the score of 6-3.
Navy would grab a 2-0 lead with a win at No. 1 singles. The advantage became 3-0 when Tanner Baine dropped his match at No. 4 to Navy's Walker Sims, 6-1, 6-4.
The Patriots would win the next two matches to cut the lead to 3-2. Joe Hill defeated Aries Wong, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3 and Giuliano Buzoianu was victorious at No. 6 singles, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. Majkic would clinch the match for the Mids when he won a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 decision over Gutierrez at the No. 5 flight.
Mason's Jimmy Lange would bring the Patriots to three points as he defeated Krishna Jana 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, at No. 2 singles in the last match.
George Mason (8-13) will be back on the courts Sunday at 2 pm for a match against Howard, the teams last match of the regular season. The Senior Day ceremony will begin at 1:45 p.m. on the George Mason Tennis Courts.
Doubles
1. Hill, Joe / Lange, Jimmy (Mason) def. Jones, Austin / Massie, Tucker, 6-2
2. Jana, Krishna / Wong, Aries (NAVY) def. Baine, Tanner / Capitel, Aaron, 6-3
3. Majkic, Andrey / Pecor, Thomas (NAVY) def. Buzoianu, Giuliano / Gutierrez, Daniel, 6-3
Singles (1-4-3-6-5-2)
1. Jones, Austin (NAVY) def. Capitel, Aaron, 6-1, 6-0
2. Lange, Jimmy (Mason) def. Jana, Krishna, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
3. Hill, Joe (Mason) def. Wong, Aries, 6-4, 6-3
4. Sims, Walker (NAVY) def. Baine, Tanner, 6-1, 6-4
5. Majkic, Andrey (NAVY) def. Gutierrez, Daniel, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
6. Buzoianu, Giuliano (Mason) def. Massie, Tucker, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1-4-3-6-5-2)
