DUE WEST, S.C. - After Erskine grabbed a 2-1 lead following the doubles round, Anderson University men's tennis stormed back in the singles round to earned a narrow 5-4 victory over its archrival Wednesday afternoon at the Erskine Tennis Complex.
The win propels the Trojans to above .500 at 8-7 for the year, while the Flying Fleet drop to 2-15 overall.
In the doubles round, the tandem of sophomore Paul Michael Calhoun and senior Danilo Faria claimed an 8-5 win over Erskine's pair of Andre Andre and Robert Clarke at the No. 2 position. Despite the win, AU was unable to claim another doubles win as freshmen Juan Carracedo and Mateo Rivas fell 8-6 at No. 1, while sophomores Tomas Passalacqua and Inaki Iriberry dropped 9-7 at No. 3.
Anderson answered in the singles round with four wins, including three wins coming at the bottom of the Trojan lineup. Iriberry (No. 5) and Faria (No. 6) both cruised to straight-set wins, as Iriberry knocked off Alan Pearce, 6-1, 6-0, while Faria defeated Robert Clarke 6-0, 6-1.
With Carracedo notching a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Erskine's Jack West at the No. 1 spot, Calhoun sealed the Trojans' nonconference win with a three-set 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 triumph over Andre at No. 4. The match-clinching victory was Calhoun's ninth win of the season.
Anderson returns to the courts on Friday when it welcomes South Atlantic Conference foe Carson-Newman to the Upstate. First serve from Max Grubbs Memorial Courts is scheduled for 2 p.m.
