ANDERSON, S.C. - After entering the singles round with a 2-1 advantage, Anderson University men's tennis fended off a comeback by Carson-Newman and defeated the Eagles, 5-4, Friday afternoon at Max Grubbs Memorial Courts.
With the victory, the Trojans improve to 9-7 on the season and 8-2 in South Atlantic Conference play, while C-N falls to 5-18 overall and 3-8 within the league. Most recently, Anderson has earned victories in three of its last four matches and eight of its last 11.
Sending out an unfamiliar lineup in the doubles round, the Trojans managed two victories as sophomore Paul Michael Calhoun and freshman Mateo Rivas earned their first win as a doubles team with an 8-1 triumph over Carson-Newman's Juan Sebastian and Stefano Daza at the No. 1 slot. At No. 3, the sophomore team of Tomas Passalacqua and Inaki Iriberry defeated Jonathan Allen and Garret Duron 8-5 to give the home side a 2-1 advantage.
As the Trojans entered the singles portion, the Eagles captured straight-set wins at No. 2 and at No. 5 to grab a lead in the team score. Facing the deficit, the Trojans fought back with a Carracedo victory (6-2, 6-2) over Joao Pedro Oliveria at the No. 1 position and a Calhoun triumph over Allen at No. 4 (6-1, 6-2). Carracedo's win was his fourth victory in a row as he had earned wins in six of his last seven.
Rivas sealed the AU victory with a three-set 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 win over Daza at the No. 3 position, as the Trojans sealed their spot into next week's Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. With the win, Rivas snapped a three-match losing streak after winning six straight before the skid.
Anderson will have a quick turnaround as it returns to conference action on Sunday when it hits the road to league newcomer, Queens. First serve from Freedom Park is set for 1 p.m.
