Box Score (PDF)
BURKE, Va. – The George Mason University men's tennis team put forth a valiant effort against A-10 blue blood Richmond but came up just short, falling 4-3 at the Burke Racquet & Swim Club on Thursday afternoon.
The two teams played to a 2-2 tie, but Richmond won two of the final three singles matches to take the victory.
"The guys battled hard today," head coach Jimmy Davis said. "We took one of the top teams in our conference to the brink and came up just short. I'm proud of how the guys competed today and we are trending in the right direction heading towards conferences. We still have a lot to improve on and it's going to start with our doubles. If we can start winning that point, we can compete with any team in the A-10."
In the doubles point, Mason's No. 3 tandem of graduate student
Luke Maxwell and sophomore
Herman Jentoft took down Richmond's Fernandez/Wernink duo easily, 6-3. The Spiders won at No. 2 doubles so it came down to No. 1, where the Patriots'
Rithik Sardana/
Ryan Charles combo nearly pulled off the win but ultimately fell, 5-7.
In singles, Richmond won at No. 1 to take a 2-0 lead, but Mason came right back after junior
Rishab Sardana took down Matt Fernandez at No. 2, 6-4, 6-4.
Mason tied it up after Charles took a gritty effort at No. 3. He dropped his first set, 3-6, but rallied back to win the second, 6-4. He then won a third-set tiebreak (7-4) to claim the singles win.
The Spiders won at No. 4 and No. 5 to clinch the match, but Jentoft picked up another point at No. 6 for Mason, winning 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (9-7).
Mason returns to the outdoor courts on campus Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest vs. Longwood.
