April
6, 2007
#30 Haverford Flies Past Regionally Ranked Salisbury, 5-4;
Rudolph's Rally Helps Keep Fords Undefeated
SALISBURY, MD - Visiting Haverford, ranked
seventh in the Atlantic South region and 30th in Division III,
overcame a 4-2 deficit to defeat host Salisbury, ranked eighth
in the region, 5-4 Thursday in a non-conference men's tennis match
that holds significant postseason implications for the NCAA Regionals.
Sophomore Marc Rudolph clinched the decisive fifth team point
for Haverford at number five singles, out grinding his opponent
to erase a 5-2 third set deficit. Rudolph 'treed' his way to a
7-5 third set win with both teams watching in anticipation at
the conclusion of the six-hour indoor match. The Fords remain
undefeated on the season and are now 9-0 overall. The Gulls slip
to 12-4 overall with the loss.
The Fords got off to a fast start in doubles, taking two of the
first three points from the Gulls. Sophomores Alex Buxbaum and
Tom Kinrade, ranked second in the region and ninth in Div. III,
were edged by Brendan Kincaid and Scott Burtzlaff, 8-6 at number
one doubles. However, senior co-captain Elmar Trust and junior
Marc Adelberg won at number two doubles, 8-6, while Rudolph and
sophomore Evan Stiegel were 8-5 winners over Sean Larson and Shane
Berry to give Haverford the 2-1 advantage after doubles competition.
Haverford lost its first three matches at numbers one, two and
three singles, but the bottom half of the Fords singles lineup
won all of their matches to give the Fords the five team points
they needed for the 5-4 victory. Stiegel, ranked 12th in the region
in singles, topped Sasha Felikson at number four singles, 6-2,
6-3. Adelberg won handily in straight sets at number six against
Jason Williams, 6-2, 6-4 to knot the match at four a piece. Rudolph
took the first set from Larson at number five singles, 7-5, but
fell 4-6 in the second set. Rudoph's superior conditioning along
with strong coaching provided by head coach Sean Sloane played
key roles in Rudolph's rally from three games down to a 7-5 third
set and match victory.
Haverford will travel to Gettysburg Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. Centennial
Conference match.
