SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior
Thomas McGuire came back from a set down to deliver the decisive fifth point on Senior Day and give the Union College men's tennis team a thrilling 5-4 victory over St. Lawrence University on Friday afternoon at the Union Tennis Courts.
The win moves Union (5-7, 3-3 Liberty League) into fifth place in the conference standings with two matches remaining, as the team moves closer to clinching a spot in the postseason.
The home team jumped out to a 4-1 lead on Friday, but St. Lawrence (5-6, 1-3 Liberty League) came back to take three straight singles matches to stay alive. McGuire was a set away from defeat after dropping a 10-8 tiebreaker in the opening frame of his sixth-singles match against John Hill-Edgar, but the senior stormed back to win the final two sets, 6-2 and 6-1, to set off a celebration on the courts.
Union started the afternoon with wins in two of the three doubles contests. Junior
Bailey McAtee and sophomore
Austin Gregory picked up an 8-5 win over Hill-Edgar and Edvin Strandberg at third singles, while junior
Dimitris Binopoulos and sophomore
Ben Jacobs defeated Ben Moolman and Nathan Turtledove by the same score at the top flight.
Union looked to be in good shape after a pair of quick singles wins by Jacobs and junior
Khai Ton gave the home team a 4-1 lead. Jacobs took down Turtledove at first singles by a 6-4, 6-2 score, and Ton battled past Strandberg in a 7-5, 6-3 victory at the third flight. The Saints added to the drama of the day by winning the next three singles matches, but McGuire pulled off the comeback victory to give Union the win.
Union will be back on the court tomorrow, when the team heads to Rochester Institute of Technology for a crucial conference clash beginning at 1 p.m.
