FORT SMITH -- The John Brown men's and women's tennis teams fell in straight sets on Tuesday afternoon at Arkansas--Fort Smith as the Golden Eagles were unable to capture a single point until the rain forced an early exit on the men's side.
The women (2-3) ran into a hot UAFS team, which collected its second win in a row with a 9-0 decision. UAFS (3-4) won two of the three doubles matches by shutout as Abby White and Brittaney McCasin swept freshman Eva Berry and junior Krizana Saucedo 8-0 at No. 1 doubles. Taylor Price and Abby Thompson swept freshmen Claire Griffin and Clare Holden 8-0 at the third flight.
White did not give up a game to John Brown during the entire match. She also shut out senior Courtney Pinter 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Berry took on Lindsey Pearce at the fifth spot, posting JBU's closest contest in a 6-4, 6-4 defeat. UAFS won all six singles matches in straight sets.
With two matches in progress on the men's side, rain set in forcing a stoppage in play. It didn't matter, though, as the Lions (1-5) were ahead 7-0 against John Brown (0-5).
UAFS set the stage for its first win by sweeping all three doubles matches en route to a 7-0 victory. Cris Ramirez and Jesse Green beat senior Alex Baker and sophomore Seong Jae Jo 8-2 at No. 1 doubles, while Josh Coleman and Seth Laster bested junior Colton Cheek and freshman Kumhal Fulghem 8-0 at No. 2 doubles. The Lions' Ryan Heslop and Sean Manning defeated seniors Darwin Silva and Blake Zoellner 8-0 at No. 3 doubles.
The Lions won all of their singles matches in straight sets. Eli Harper posted the only shutout, though, beating freshman Kumhal Fulghem 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles. Baker took Heslop to a 6-2, 6-3 decision before absorbing the loss. Zoellner and Silva were unable to finish their contests at the fifth and sixth flights, respectively, before the inclement weather moved in.
Both JBU tennis squads will return to action at 1 p.m. on April 7 when the Golden Eagles host NCAA III Ozarks (Ark.) at the JBU Tennis Courts.
Sports on 03/22/2015