GRAND FORKS, North Dakota – The Omaha men's tennis team rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory over North Dakota Friday afternoon at Choice Health & Fitness Center in Grand Forks.
"North Dakota always competes very hard," said Omaha head coach Tyson Thomas. "It's great for the guys to pull out this win. We were down 2-3 and John (Ellis) and Colin (Buckley) stepped up as upperclassmen to close out their matches."
The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point, which proved to be crucial. Omaha got wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Freshmen Matt Dunn and Brent McKnight teamed up for their first college win at No. 2 doubles by defeating Connor Oberle and Ty Misialek, 6-3. Senior Erik Anderson and freshman Alex Woodward made quick work of Joe Lee and Matt Hokanson at No. 3 doubles, 6-1. North Dakota stopped Omaha at No. 1 doubles, 6-4.
In singles, the Fighting Hawks took the lead with wins at No. 5 and No. 4. Anderson dropped his singles match to Lee in straight sets at No. 5, 6-4, 6-1. Marko Minic fell to Travis Lau at No. 4 in a tight match, 6-4, 6-4. Omaha tied the match at 2-2 as Woodward picked up his first collegiate singles win over Oberle at No. 3, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
North Dakota retook the lead with a win at No. 2 singles. Misialek topped Dunn in split sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Omaha rallied to win the final two matches. John Ellis topped Eshan Varma, 6-4, 7-6 (7) at No. 6. Buckley clinched the team victory with a hard fought win at No. 1 singles. He defeated David Bergstrom, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5).
"I am proud of the guys for the tenacity and focus they showed under pressure," said Thomas. "It's really nice to see the kids respond with such gutsy play and fight. These guys are a competitive group."
The Mavericks return to action next weekend with a pair of matches. UNO travels to Lincoln to take on Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. The Mavericks make their home debut on Sunday, Jan. 24 against Doane at 4 p.m.
Omaha Mavericks 4, North Dakota 3
Jan 15, 2016 at Grand Forks, N.D.
Singles competition
1. Colin Buckley (OMAHA) def. BERGSTROM, David (UND) 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5)
2. MISIALEK, Ty (UND) def. Matt Dunn (OMAHA) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
3. Alex Woodward (OMAHA) def. OBERLE, Connor (UND) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
4. LAU, Travis (UND) def. Marko Minic (OMAHA) 6-4, 6-4
5. LEE, Joe (UND) def. Erik Anderson (OMAHA) 6-4, 6-1
6. John Ellis (OMAHA) def. VARMA, Eshan (UND) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
Doubles competition
1. LAU, Travis/BERGSTROM, David (UND) def. Colin Buckley/Ignace Warson (OMAHA) 6-4
2. Matt Dunn/Brent McKnight (OMAHA) def. OBERLE, Connor/MISIALEK, Ty (UND) 6-3
3. Erik Anderson/Alex Woodward (OMAHA) def. LEE, Joe/BRITTON, Dustin (UND) 6-1
Match Notes
Omaha Mavericks 1-0-0
North Dakota 0-1-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,4,3,2,6,1)
A-23
