College Men’s Tennis Final – Guilford 5, Randolph-Macon 4 (ODAC Tournament Quarterfinal)

ASHLAND, Va. – Guilford College’s Trevor Cox pulled out a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 third-singles win to lift the Quakers past Randolph-Macon College, 5-4, in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal Saturday.

The win came after the third-seeded Yellow Jackets (12-7) edged Guilford (7-10), 5-4, in the Quakers’ regular-season finale last Monday (4/14). The sixth-seeded Quakers meet Virginia Wesleyan College in the semifinals April 26 at Sweet Briar College. The second-seeded Marlins downed Roanoke, 5-1, Saturday in another quarterfinal.

The Quakers grabbed a 2-1 lead by winning the first- and third-doubles contests. Guilford’s top tandem of Turner Votipka and Erik Meiler downed Randolph-Macon’s Ryan Byrd and Michael Baxter, 8-4, at first doubles. Levi Bruff and Mason Church topped Connor Hoerr and Ira Usry at third doubles, 8-3.

Hoerr downed Meiler in straight sets and Votipka topped Byrd in straight sets, which left Guilford with a 3-2 lead. Randolph-Macon’s John Adam rallied past Guilford’s Aaron Smedley, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, at third singles and Usry topped Blake Brown in straight sets to give the hosts a 4-3 edge. Guilford’s Mason Church won a three-set match over the Yellow Jackets’ Brantley Stein, which tied the score at 4-4. Stein defeated Church, 6-2, 7-6, in Monday’s match and was the only flight with a different outcome than Monday.

The Quakers are making their first ODAC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2012.

Tennis Match Results
Guilford vs Randolph-Macon
Apr 19, 2014 at Ashland, VA
(Banks Tennis Center)
Guilford 5, Randolph-Macon 4

Singles competition
1. Turner Votipka (GC) def. Ryan Byrd (RMC) 6-0, 6-4
2. Connor Hoerr (RMC) def. Erik Meiler (GC) 6-2, 6-3
3. Trevor Cox (GC) def. Michael Baxter (RMC) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6
4. John Adam (RMC) def. Aaron Smedley (GC) 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
5. Mason Church (GC) def. Brantley Stein (RMC) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
6. Ira Usry (RMC) def. Blake Brown (GC) 7-5, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Turner Votipka/Erik Meiler (GC) def. Ryan Byrd/Michael Baxter (RMC) 8-4
2. John Adam/Brantley Stein (RMC) def. Trevor Cox/Aaron Smedley (GC) 8-4
3. Levi Bruff/Mason Church (GC) def. Connor Hoerr/Ira Usry (RMC) 8-3

Match Notes:
Guilford 7-10
Randolph-Macon 12-7
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2); Singles (2, 1, 4, 6, 5, 3)
Quarterfinals of ODAC Championship
T-4:00 A-50