KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University men's tennis team overcame a 3-0 deficit to post a critical 4-3 ITA Atlantic Region victory over Salem (W.Va.) on Friday afternoon at the Keystone Courts.
Down their top two players due to injury, the Golden Bears (10-1) withstood Salem's opening push that included wins in two of the three doubles flights and the top two doubles flights.
Kutztown nearly evened doubles at a point apiece when
Terrell Arejola (Quezon City, Philippines/Southville International School and Colleges) and
Luis Lopes (Piracicaba, Brazil/Colegio Saber) took Skander Mezouar and Enrico Pucci to a tiebreaker at No. 3 before falling 7-6 (4). It proved to be the swing point as the Golden Bears won No. 1 doubles with
Henrique Rocha (Jaticua, Brazil/Escola SEB Maceio) and
Joaquin Perez (Pachuca, Mexico/Escuela Americana) fending off Daniel Paipa and Pablo Guillen in a tiebreaker 7-6 (4).
Salem (2-7) increased its lead to 3-0 with a 7-5, 6-3 win from regionally ranked Mezouar over Rocha at No. 1 and Paipa's 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Perez at No. 2. The Tigers needed just a single point to secure the match but Kutztown didn't allow it to happen.
Emmitt Robinson (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute) started the climb back for KU with a 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 win over Simon Braeuning at No. 3, before
Linus Vennekold (Laatzen, Germany/) also went to the super tiebreaker to hold off Guillen 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 at No. 4.
Lopes' 6-1, 6-2 straight set victory over Pucci at No. 6 tied the score at three, and Arejola took the deciding point in dramatic fashion with a 6-2, 5-7, 10-7 triumph in a super tiebreaker at No. 5.
With the victory, Kutztown reached double-digit wins in a season for the first time since 2017-18 when it went 10-4.
First-year head coach
Pete Smith praised his team for their poise and determination following the match. "I love the attitude of this group," Smith said. "There were a multitude of ways we could have dropped this match but they just don't quit. It was a tremendous performance that showcased our depth. It's an extremely tall task to come out with a win when you're not at full strength and these guys persevered to bring it home."
Kutztown heads out to Edinboro on Sunday to start PSAC play before returning home to face Millersville on Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m.
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