Lexington, Ky. – Robert Albrecht's 7-5, 6-1 straight-set sweep against James Demeo in the #1 singles match headlined a 9-0 victory by the Transylvania men's tennis team against visiting Defiance on Saturday at the Bluegrass Racquet Club.
The Pioneers served up their Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's tennis season opener in style with a statement match against the Yellow Jackets, capturing all nine doubles and singles matches. After last weekend's road matches at Franklin were cancelled due to bad weather, the Pioneers finally were able to lock horns with an HCAC opponent and they did not disappoint in front of a hometown throng.
Albrecht grinded out the first set against Demeo which in a heavily-contested showdown before collecting some key points down the stretch to secure a neck-and-neck first set win. Albrecht relied on a consistent, relentless return game in the second set to outpace Demeo after the Pioneers took care of business in three doubles matches to vault the Pioneers to a one-sided victory.
Transylvania tennis head coach Chuck Brown expressed his pleasure with the afternoon, saying "We had some good matches at #1 and #2 singles (Albrecht and Zachary Meikle), and tough first sets, and we had to figure out a gameplan to counteract what their opponents were doing."
All three doubles matches for the Pioneers were swift results, with Robert Albrecht and Meikle cruising by Demo and Adam Swisher 8 to 2 in #1 doubles action. Joshua Buckman and Sam Hodgson thrilled viewers at the Racquet Club with a powerful 8-0 result over Tory Savage and Eline Widman in the #2 doubles matchup, while Reza Haider and Luke Groene teamed up for a #3 doubles win against Brian Kurtz and Nathan Height by the score of 8 to 2.
"Meikle and Albrecht had to work the court long in order to set up the shots they wanted today and didn't get impatient, and these seniors know how to be patient," echoed Brown on the top-level singles matches.
The men's tennis squad harnessed the strong start into singles play, as Meikle commenced the second half of proceedings with a #2 singles match versus Swisher. Meikle battled Swisher to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Buckman's #3 singles provided a source of pride for the Pioneers, sealing the deal against Savage with a 6-1, 6-0 win to secure the win for Transylvania.
Groene enjoyed a 6-2, 6-1 win over Widman in #4 doubles play, and Hodgson and Eric Sandknop held their own to round out the order. Hodgson defeated Kurtz 6-1, 6-0 in #5 singles play, while Sandknop duplicated that score in his #6 match against Height.
The Pioneers are next scheduled for action on Wednesday at the Transylvania Tennis Courts when they take on Hanover. Action begins at 4:00 p.m.
