College Men’s Tennis Final – Guilford 5, Hampden-Sydney 1 (ODAC Tournament quarterfinal)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College won its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men’s Tennis Tournament match since 2008 Sunday with a 5-1 quarterfinal win over Hampden-Sydney College at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.

The third-seeded Quakers (11-7) avenged last season’s opening-round loss to the sixth-seeded Tigers (5-8) by winning two of three doubles matches and three singles contests.

Guilford advances to play second-seeded Bridgewater College Saturday (4/28) at Randolph-Macon College in the tournament semifinals. The Eagles defeated Guilford, 7-2, April 14 and reached the ODAC Tournament semifinals with a 5-0 home win over Roanoke College Sunday.

Guilford’s Tyler Mercier improved to 13-3 in singles matches this season with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Hampden-Sydney’s Kevin Calhoun. Mercier’s 13 singles wins this season mark Guilford’s most in a season since Caleb Kimbrough went 13-1 in 2005.

Mercier also teamed with Clayton Hamilton (Greensboro, N.C./Page (Greensboro)) for an 8-3 win at first doubles over the Tigers’ Calhoun and Watt Mountcastle. Hamilton took down Ryan Davis at third singles, 6-0, 6-1.

Tennis Match Results
Hampden-Sydney vs Guilford
Apr 22, 2012 at Greensboro, NC
Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center

Guilford – 5
Hampden-Sydney – 1

Singles competition
1. Tyler Mercier (GC) def. Kevin Calhoun (HSC) 6-2, 6-3
2. Turner Votipka (GC) vs. Zack King (HSC) 7-6 (10-8), unfinished
3. Clayton Hamilton (GC) def. Ryan Davis (HSC) 6-0, 6-1
4. Colin Rapp (GC) def. Houghton Flanagan (HSC) 6-0, 6-1
5. Mark Cheong (GC) vs. Barrett Polan (HSC) 1-6, 6-1, 1-1, unfinished
6. Ben Nelson (GC) vs. Watt Mountcastle (HSC) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Tyler Mercier/Clayton Hamilton (GC) def. Kevin Calhoun/Watt Mountcastle (HSC) 8-3
2. Colin Rapp/Turner Votipka (GC) def. Zack King/Barrett Polan (HSC) 8-6
3. Franklin Bowers/Ryan Davis (HSC) def. Ben Nelson/Charlie Smith (GC) 8-6

Match Notes:
Hampden-Sydney 5-8
Guilford 11-7
Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal #3-seeded Guilford advances to play #2-seeded Bridgewater Apr. 28 at noon at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va.
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