at Southern Indiana (14-6, 4-1 GLVC): 5
McKendree (14-4, 2-2 GLVC): 4
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Box ScoreEVANSVILLE, Ind.—The No. 24 University of Southern Indiana men's tennis team needed a come-from-behind victory at No. 4 singles to edge visiting McKendree University, 5-4, Saturday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference duel at the USI Tennis Courts.
USI (14-6, 4-1 GLVC) forged a 2-1 lead with victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Senior
Santiago Lopez and sophomore
Jack Joyce earned a 9-8 (9-7) win at No. 1 doubles, while sophomore
Joel Stern and freshman
Josh Walden posted an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles.
Both Lopez and Stern garnered straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively, but the Bearcats surged into a 4-4 tie with straight-set triumphs at No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 singles.
Stern, however, rallied from a one-set deficit to earn the match-clinching victory at No. 4 singles, using a thrilling 7-6 (9-7) win in the second frame to tie the match before taking the third set, 6-1, to give the Eagles the 5-4 win.
The Eagles return to action Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. when they visit the University of Missouri-St. Louis in a non-conference match. USI concludes its regular-season slate next Saturday when it hosts the University of Illinois Springfield for Senior Day at the USI Tennis Courts.
