JMU Battles for 4-3 Victory at Liberty

Saturday, February 4

Lynchburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Liberty

2/4/2017 10:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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LYNCHBURG, Va. – Back-to-back freshmen victories in singles play pushed James Madison men's tennis (2-2) to the 4-3 come-from-behind win at Liberty (2-1) on Saturday afternoon.

With the Dukes trailing 3-2, freshman Paul Mendoza posted straight 6-4 wins against Max Borcuti at No. 5 singles to knot the match. Freshman Tate Steinour completed the JMU comeback with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ryker Heller at No. 6 to clinch match point.

Mendoza finished the day at 2-0 after a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles with junior Theophile Lanthiez. The pair earned the only JMU doubles victory of the day, giving the Flames a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

Freshman Damon Roberts pulled the Dukes even with the Flames early, taking down Vince Salas 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. Senior Brett Moorhead did the same at No. 4 singles, sinking Diego Castano in two sets (7-5, 6-4) to tie it at 2-2.

QUOTING ASSISTANT COACH NICOLAI NONNENBROICH
"This was a defining match for the rest of the season. We showed up with the attitude needed to win tough matches like this one. We still have some things to work on in doubles but mentally this is a big step in the right direction. Tate and Paul came up big with the two wins to clinch the match, and the two freshmen showed that they know how to get the job done. We're looking forward to continuing this season in the same spirit and will come out with energy and positive attitude next weekend against Bucknell and Penn State."

RESULTS
Doubles (2, 1, 3*)

Burton/Borcuti def. Ruzic/Salinas 6-3
Lanthiez/Mendoza def. Heller/Gutierrez 6-1
Salas/Castano def. Moorhead/Steinour 6-3

Singles (3, 2, 4, 1, 5, 6*)

Chase Burton def. Theophile Lanthiez 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3
Eddie Gutierrez def. Sebastian Salinas 7-5, 6-0
Damon Roberts def. Vince Salas 7-5, 6-3
Brett Moorhead def. Diego Castano 7-5, 6-4
Paul Mendoza def. Max Borcuti 6-4, 6-4
Tate Steinour def. Ryker Heller 6-4, 6-3

UP NEXT
The Dukes are in State College, Pa. next weekend as they face Bucknell in a neutral-site match on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. and Penn State at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.