Senior Ian Buchanan helped lead Loyola to a come from behind victory
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by  Joe DiBlasi

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