by Kevin Buczek
CENTRAL, S.C.-Barton College ended a two-match skid with a strong 8-1 non-conference men's tennis victory against Southern Wesleyan University on a frigid Tuesday at Nettles Park.
The Bulldogs swept doubles and won the final five singles matches in straight sets to improve to 7-3 overall. The Warriors, who are in the first year of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II, slipped to 3-3 after losing to their potential league mates in a couple years.
Freshman Camilo Sandoval kept Barton from sweeping the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win against sophomore Rafael Ruiz. Sandoval (5-1) is proven to be an immediate impact player for the Warriors with his fourth third straight singles win. Sandoval's only singles loss of the season was against the fourth-best ranked singles player in NAIA.
Freshman Jake McCartney, junior Max Leppert and sophomore Nick Genest all won in both singles and doubles. McCartney (7-1) picked up his team-high seventh singles win by coasting 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2. Leppert (6-2) and Genest (4-4) added matching 6-2, 6-1 results in the third and fourth slots, respectively.
Sophomore No. 5 Daniel Radu and freshman No. 6 McKennon Griffin did not lose a set in perfect 6-0, 6-0 singles performances. Griffin was making his first collegiate appearance in a dual match.
The Bulldogs took command of the match by winning all three doubles matches for a fifth time. Ruiz and McCartney produced an 8-4 conquest in the top pairing to improve to 8-2 together. Leppert and junior classmate Jorge Pradilla had the toughest test in the middle draw before securing the 8-6 success. Genest and freshman Yaxi Pintado had the easiest time with an 8-0 blanking in the third doubles bout.
The two teams competed it temperatures that hovered in the 30s all match and included freezing wind chills.
Barton returns from spring break to next host Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday, March 15 at 3 p.m.
