ORLANDO, Fla. – The Ursinus College men's tennis team had already swept King's Wednesday morning and was well on its way to a victory over Clark in the nightcap, but the Cougars won the final five singles matches to steal a 5-4 victory at the Lake Nona USTA National Center.

Senior Chanton Phan was a perfect 4-0 on the day and was the only player for Ursinus (3-1) to pick up a positive singles result against Clark (5-5).

Freshman Devin Paulison earned the first victory of his career against King's, and sophomore Jake Lachowicz also triumphed in his season debut.

Match 1: Ursinus 9, King's 0

Junior Max Oberholtzer made it three straight individual wins with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Nathan Carl at the top singles slot.

Between third and sixth singles, the Bears surrendered only ten combined games. Senior Chanton Phan downed Luke Whightnight 6-2, 6-2; senior Jordan Hodess ripped Josh Mesaris 6-1, 6-0; Paulison defeated Terry Briggs 6-2, 6-1 in his collegiate debut; and Lachowicz powered past Cameron Tuck by a 6-2, 6-0 score in his first match of the season.

Sophomore Paul Vecchio received a stiff test from Tyler Millan at second singles, dropping the first set 6-4 before rallying to claim the second by the same spread. Vecchio completed the Bears' singles sweep with a 10-5 victory in the third-set super tiebreaker.

Vecchio had a considerably easier time in doubles with Oberholtzer, as the pair combined for an 8-2 triumph against Carl and Millan. Phan and Shields upended Whightight and Mesaris 8-4 at number two, and senior Henry Burke and freshman Connor DeFaber-Schumacher blasted Tuck and Ryan Kopishke 8-0 at third doubles. 

Match 2: Clark 5, Ursinus 4

Burke and DeFaber-Schumacher were first off the courts with an 8-4 win at third doubles, and Phan and Shields followed shortly afterwards with a victory by the same score at number two. Oberholtzer and  Vecchio capped a clean sweep with an 8-6 decision opposite Jack Han and Lenny Siegel at number one.

The Bears have won nine consecutive doubles matches – four in a row for Burke and DeFaber-Schumacher, three for Oberholtzer and Vecchio, and two more by Phan and Shields.

Phan delivered Ursinus a 4-0 lead on the strength of a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Andrey Samodaev at number three singles, but it was all Cougars from there. Oberholtzer (first singles) and Hodess (sixth) each dropped first-set tiebreakers that gave way to straight-set setbacks, and Teodor Nicola-Antoniu pulled Clark to within 4-3 with a win over Burke at number four.

After Siegel's 6-4, 6-4 victory against Sheilds at fifth singles, the match came down to the second court, where Han rallied from a 6-2 first-set defeat to take the second 6-4 and outlast Vecchio, 10-6, in the third-set super tiebreaker.

Phan has won four straight singles matches to improve to a team-best 6-1 in individual play.

Up Next

The Bears conclude their Florida trip with a match against Monmouth (Ill.) at 7 p.m. back at the USTA National Center.