NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Freshman Andrew Fish and sophomore Josh Smith each picked up singles wins on Sunday for the WKU men's tennis team, but it wouldn't be enough to take down Detroit, as the Titans claimed four of the six singles and two of the doubles en route to a 5-2 win in Nashville at Tennessee State University.
The win for Fish was the first singles win of his young Hilltopper career, which also came in his first singles match of the season. Fish played from the No. 6 singles spot, defeating Chris Cheung in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Smith picked up his first singles win of the spring season, taking down Nick Tolomei in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2 from the No. 1 singles position in the WKU lineup. The win from the top spot ends a lengthy WKU drought from that position, as the Hilltoppers have not had a No. 1 singles win since March 7 of last season.
Detroit claimed the doubles point to open the match, winning from both the No. 1 and the No. 3 doubles positions. Freshmen J.T. Closi and Andrew Fish earned their second consecutive doubles win, defeating Alex Latosinsky and David Stabley, 8-4 from the No. 2 spot. Closi and Fish now lead WKU with a 2-1 record in doubles play and are now a perfect 2-0 when playing from the No. 2 position.
Sunday's match was the first ever meeting between Detroit and WKU and marks just the second time since 2003 that the Hilltoppers have faced an opponent from the Horizon League.
WKU (0-5) will now hit the road for the state of Alabama, preparing for five matches over the next five days against four different opponents. The Hilltoppers and the Lady Toppers will begin the road swing on Monday in Huntsville, Ala., taking on Alabama A&M. WKU will conclude the trip back in Huntsville on Friday, as both the men and the women will play Alabama A&M for a second time.
RESULTS
Detroit 5, WKU Men's Tennis 2
Mar 04, 2012 at Nashville, Tenn.
Singles competition
1. Josh Smith (WKU) def. Nick Tolomei (DET) 6-4, 6-2
2. Alex Latosinsky (DET) def. Lance Freeman (WKU) 6-3, 7-6
3. Cesar Escobar Serran (DET) def. J.T. Closi (WKU) 7-6, 7-5
4. Mike Basha (DET) def. Brody Freeman (WKU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Pablo Nunez (DET) def. Arul Selvan (WKU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Andrew Fish (WKU) def. Chris Cheung (DET) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Mike Basha/Chris Cheung (DET) def. Lance Freeman/Arul Selvan (WKU) 8-6
2. J.T. Closi/Andrew Fish (WKU) def. Alex Latosinsky/David Stabley (DET) 8-4
3. Jay Joshi/Pablo Nunez (DET) def. Josh Smith/Brody Freeman (WKU) 8-5
Matches Over Spring Break:
Hilltoppers
Monday, March 5 - at Alabama A&M
Tuesday, March 6 - at North Alabama
Wednesday, March 7 - at Alabama-Huntsville
Thursday, March 8 - at Alabama State
Friday, March 9 - at Alabama A&M
Lady Toppers
Monday, March 4 - at Alabama A&M
Tuesday, March 5 - North Alabama
Wednesday, March 6 - North Alabama
Thursday, March 7 - at Alabama-Huntsville
Friday, March 8 - Alabama State
