FRESNO, Calif. – The 35
th-ranked MSU Denver men's tennis team picked up a nice neutral-site victory Sunday, defeating Hawaii-Hilo 4-1.
The Roadrunners earned the doubles point after
Dayton Fisher and
Carlos Pinedo combined to with the tiebreaker 7-4, then clinched the match with singles wins at Nos. 3 (
Alejandro Jimenez), 5 (
Billy McDermott) and 6 (Pinedo).
McDermott's win was particularly critical as both sets went to tiebreakers, with McDermott winning 7-4 in each.
Jeanloup Auzias was locked into a battle with the 74
th-ranked player in Division II, winning the first set 7-6 (10), but the match was unfinished at 4-4 in the second once the Roadrunners clinched.
In doubles, the 31
st-ranked No. 1 doubles team of
David Kijak and
Juho Kantola trailed 6-5 before the Roadrunners clinched.
"The guys played a great doubles point," MSU Denver coach
Josh Graetz said. "We are really starting to connect as a doubles unit and it's exciting to watch.
"Hawaii-Hilo is a really tough team, and the guys should be really proud of their win tonight."
MSU Denver improved to 9-4.
The Roadrunners continue trying to play duals despite the rain – the women's dual scheduled for Sunday against Academy of Art (Calif.) was canceled. Both teams were scheduled to play host Fresno Pacific (Calif.), but that was postponed and has been scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m.