by Kevin Buczek
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.-Junior Max Leppert picked up a pair of wins in leading the Barton College men's team to a 6-3 Conference Carolinas conquest over visiting Erskine College at the Belmont Farms Racquet Club on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (5-1 overall, 1-1 conf.) returned to the win column after suffering their first loss of the season while the Flying Fleet (0-4, 0-1) remained winless on the season.
Leppert partnered with junior Jorge Pradilla to win the middle doubles match, 8-3, and sophomore Nick Genest and freshman Yaxi Pintado won by the same score in the third contest to give BC a 2-1 edge heading into singles.
Leppert-Pradilla improved to 4-2 and Genest-Pintado remained perfect at 3-0. The Royal Blue and White boast a 15-3 doubles team mark in its first six dual matches.
Due to rain forcing the move from the Barton Tennis Complex in Wilson, N.C., to the indoor facility about 30 minutes away, the two conference institutions agreed to play all singles matches as super sets instead of the standard best 2 of 3 sets with only three courts available compared to BC's normal 12-court facility.
Sophomore Rafael Ruiz and freshman Jake McCartney suffered their first doubles loss of the season, 8-6, to move to 5-1 paired together but both bounced back with key singles wins atop the Bulldogs lineup.
Ruiz won the marquee match 8-5 and McCartney remained undefeated at No. 2 with an 8-3 triumph. Ruiz (4-1) and McCartney (4-0) both have four singles wins. McCartney's win came against an All-Conference selection a year ago in Wilson Mathewes.
Leppert (3-1) had the most dominating win by only losing one game in the third flight. Radu (1-1) added an 8-2 rout at number six for his first win of the season.
After shifting its first two home matches of the spring to Rocky Mount, Barton looks to make its home debut for the semester on Thursday, Feb. 27 against Guilford College at 3:30 p.m.
