JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (6-8, 4-4 SAC) took to their home courts on Tuesday and made sure to maintain home court advantage. The Eagles welcomed in the Lions of Mars Hill (2-8, 1-7 SAC) for a Tuesday afternoon matchup where the Eagles walked away 7-0 victors.
"I don't know what it is about my singles play but it always goes to three sets. The matches have always started with 2, 4, 6 singles so of course I am always one of the last ones to finish," sophomore Ids Waterbolk said. "However, I'm glad to claim another win and see our team succeed. Even if I have to be the last one sometimes, that can be the difference between a win and a loss.".
Among the sleuth of Eagles victories, sophomore Marc Janse (Zeewolde, Netherlands) continued his hot streak in 2021 SAC singles as he now stands as 8-0 when playing. Tuesday was a 7-5, 6-0 decision in favor of Janse.
With his win, Janse moves into a tie with teammate Gabriel Dabdab (Rio de Janerio)'s single season record of 10 singles victories, which stands as the fifth highest total in C-N history. Janse is 10-4 overall in his 2021 singles matches. Janse is only two more victories away from breaking the school record for most singles win in a single season, set at 12 by Jonathan Allen back in 2013.
Doubles was all about momentum and C-N took their opportunity to gain the edge and start their day ahead 1-0. Dabdab and Waterbolk (Bennekom, Netherlands) took their match to the tiebreaker, but claimed the overall 7-6 victory as the Eagles swept all three doubles matches and headed into singles on the right track.
When singles action started, it was Dabdab who helped build the C-N lead as he battled from the number four singles spot and saw a 6-2, 6-2 result fall in his favor. Sophomore Joshua Ott (Knoxville, Tenn.) wrapped up his day of action as the first Eagle to finish during the first set of three. Ott absolutely dominated his singles match as he walks home with a 6-0, 6-1 result and another crucial SAC win under his belt as the season dwindles down.
When numbers one, three, and five singles took to the courts, junior Rintaro Oka (Narita, Japan) was once again in number one singles and unlike his match on Saturday, he was the winner today by a score of 6-2, 6-2. The other singles action came from grad student Julian Froehlich (Kobenz, Austria) who easily won his match 8-2 from the number five singles slot.
Finally, Waterbolk was the last Eagle on the court in action as the rest of his comrades gathered together to watch him claim a thrilling three-set victory. After starting off the match with a 6-1 first set victory, his Lions opponent stormed back to claim the second set 3-6 before Waterbolk was on point during the tiebreaker and won 10-2 to hand C-N the team sweep of Mars Hill.
Carson-Newman has now gained five out of the last six versus the Lions and three straight at home against Mars Hill. The streak continues to grow for Mars Hill as C-N has not lost at home to the Lions since 2015.
The Eagles will look to continue their winning ways as they travel to Greeneville on Wednesday for a matchup with the Tusculum Pioneers. First serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman men's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media accounts.
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