Senior Ian Buchanan helped lead Loyola to a come from behind victory
Saint Joe's Joe LaBate and Tommy Gates helped the Gaels jump out to a 2-0 lead
After the first two singles matches
were over, in a MIAA A Conference tennis showdown, Mount St. Joseph had wins from their #1 and #3 players - junior Tommy
Gates and sophomore Joe LaBate, respectively. But, when the dust settled, Loyola rebounded for a 3-2 victory.
LaBate, in fact, ran his
individual record to 7-0 on the season with his 2-0 win over Loyola's Tommy
Kelly. Gates defeated Loyola's Harrison Kunkel 2-0. Kunkel was playing #1 for
Coach Don Kraft,while Ben Galloway continues to recover from a severe ankle
sprain that he suffered two weeks ago in a match with Gilman's Michale
Katz.
The Dons' got rolling with a victory from their #2 doubles team of David Shettle and
Patrick Wood, who defeated St. Joe's Brad Batstone and Tyler Irvin. Loyola sophomore Chris Grobaker battled back against the Mount's Kyle Feeley in
the #2 singles match, to win 2-1, and suddenly the teams were deadlocked at
2-2.
The fifth and deciding match of the day, the # 1 doubles match,
would be a battle of seniors, with St. Joe's Reilly Gates and and Trevor Tyree
battling the Dons' Ian Buchanan and Tommy Nicholson for almost two hours, deep
into the evening dusk.
The Blakefield duo lost the first set and the
Gaels looked like they were well positioned to improve to 5-2 on the
year.
Buchanan, a star on the Dons' championship volleyball team last
fall, and Nicholson, just wouldn't quit. They came back time after time to win
the second set, and despite several solid rallies by Gates and Tyree, the Dons
would finally prevail to win the fifth and deciding match of the day, 2-1, to take the 3-2 team victory. It was a heart-breaking loss for the Mount and ten year
coach Tom Hughes.
"Mount Saint Joe is a great team, they are vastly
improved," said Kraft. " I am very proud of our guys, the way we battled back.
This win was important, because we're fighting for seeding in the palyoffs."
Loyola improved to 4-5, and the now has a shot at the sixth seed
in the playoffs, one of Kraft's goals.
RESULTS#1 singles
Gates SJ def Kunkel, L 2-0
#2 singles Grobaker,L def Feeley, SJ 2-1
#3
singles LaBate,SJ def Kelly 2-0
#1 doubles Buchanan and Nicholsn,L def Gates
and Tyree 2-1
#2 doubes Shettle and Wood,L def Batstone and Irvine
2-1