Total Team Effort Lifts Tigers Past Eagles in Men’s Tennis
Marion, AL—The MMI men's tennis team used its entire lineup to secure the 6-3 win versus the visiting Meridian Community College Eagles on Monday afternoon. All seven MMI players played a key role in the victory.
In doubles play, the No. 3 doubles team of Drake DelValle and Emmanuel Warner posted MMI's first point of the afternoon with their 8-2 win, but it was the gritty, down-to-the-wire performance of Joseph Tanjuatco and Preston Smith at No. 1 doubles that gave the Tigers the lead going into singles play. Tanjuatco and Smith sent their No. 1 doubles match into a tiebreaker at 8-all and then captured said tiebreaker with some phenomenal shot making down the stretch to claim the match, 9-8 (6).
Eddie Hunter slid by Meridian's Dieter Gonzales, 7-5, 6-4, at No. 2 singles, and Dom Ingram played a fine match at No. 4 singles in a 6-4, 6-1 outing to put MMI up 4 points to 3. Carson Johnson clinched the match for the Tigers with his strong 6-1, 6-1 performance at No. 5 singles. Emmanuel Warner tacked on one more Tiger point by winning his match in a third-set super tiebreaker, 11-9.
MMI 6, Meridian CC 3
Doubles Competition
1. Tanjuatco/Smith (MMI) def. Tennant/Jefcoat (MCC) 9-8 (6)
2. Gonzales/Hartman (MCC) def. Hunter/Ingram (MMI) 8-4
3. Warner/Drake DelValle (MMI) def. Frank/black (MCC) 8-2
Singles Competition
1. Matthew Tennant (MCC) def. Joseph Tanjuatco (MMI) 6-4, 6-1
2. Eddie Hunter (MMI) def. Dieter Gonzales MCC) 7-5, 6-4
3. Colin Hartman (MCC) def. Preston Smith (MMI) 6-0, 6-2
4. Dom Ingram (MMI) def. Taylor Jefcoat (MCC) 6-4, 6-1
5. Carson Johnson (MMI) def. Grant Frank (MCC) 6-1, 6-1
6. Emmanuel Warner (MMI) def. Cainan Black (MCC) 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (9)
Next Up: The Tigers go on the road to play an exhibition match with the University of Mobile on Friday, April 2. First servers are set to fly at 11:00 a.m.