The 31st-ranked University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis team saw its three-game winning streak come to an end with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of 42nd ranked Bluefield State College Thursday in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Screaming Eagles (4-4) scored the first point of the day when the duo of sophomore James Hardiman (Backwell Bristol, United Kingdom) and freshman Denis Davydov (Chorvatsky Grob, Slovakia) picked up an 8-2 win at number two doubles. However, the Eagles were behind 2-1 heading into singles play.
In singles, Hardiman had a 6-0, 6-0 win to tie the match at two apiece, but that would be the last point USI would score. Three of the remaining five singles matches went all three sets.
Junior Samuel Kiladejo (London, England) was defeated at number three singles 1-6, 6-4, 2-6. At number four, senior Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) took the close 7-6, 6-7, 6-7 loss, and sophomore Ilia Karelin (Ekaterinburg, Russia) was knocked off 2-6, 7-5, 3-10.
USI is back in action tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia.
