The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Princeton
Men's Tennis Team Defeats No. 53 Princeton, 5-2
3/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 19, 2011
SAN DIEGO, Calif. ----- The UAB men's tennis team wrapped up play in impressive fashion here Saturday at the Hilton Mission Valley Spring Classic, defeating No. 53 Princeton, 5-2, for the Blazers' first win over a ranked team this season.
The Blazers (4-7) won the doubles point and then captured victories at the No. 3-6 singles positions in downing the Tigers (7-6). The win came after UAB had dropped matches the previous two days to No. 20 San Diego Thursday and another Ivy League school, Harvard, on Friday.
Princeton's duo of Michael Lin and Matt Spindler were winners at No. 3 doubles over Lucas Dirube and Daniel Moser, 8-4. But UAB came back and took wins at the No. 2 and 1 spots.
At No. 2 Chris Helliar and Danny Manlow teamed for an 8-4 win over Augie Bloom and Alex Faust before the Blazers' tandem of Tom Puetz and David Zimmerman secured the doubles point for UAB with a 9-7 win at No. 1 over the Tigers' Yohei Shoji and Matt Siow.
Leading 1-0 after doubles, the Blazers reeled off wins at No. 3, 6 and 4 singles to take a 4-0 lead and put the match away.
Manlow was the first to get on the board in singles as he defeated Bloom by a 7-5, 6-3 score. Helliar increased the Blazers' advantage to 3-0 with his straight-set win at No. 6 singles over Coleman Crutchfield, 6-4, 6-4. Helliar was a perfect 3-0 in singles play in the three-day tournament, having won against San Diego and Harvard the last two days of play.
Puetz clinched the match for the Blazers at No. 4 singles with his 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Princeton's Dan Richardson.
UAB also got a win at No. 5 singles as Moser outlasted Faust, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9. The Tigers' two wins came at the No. 1 and 2 singles positions. Matjia Pecotic won a three-setter over UAB's Zimmerman, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, while Spindler claimed a 6-3, 7-6 decision over Dirube.
UAB will be back in action next Friday, March 25 when the Blazers travel to Atlanta to play Georgia State (12:00 p.m. ET).
Hilton Mission Valley Spring Classic
March 19, 2011
UAB 5, #53 Princeton 2
Hogan Tennis Center, San Diego, Calif.
Doubles
No. 1 - Puetz/Zimmerman (UAB) def. Yohei Shoji/Matt Siow (P), 9-7
No. 2 - Helliar/Manlow (UAB) def. Bloom/Faust (P), 8-4
No. 3 - Michael Lin/Spindler (P) def. Dirube/Moser (UAB), 8-4
Singles
No. 1 - Matija Pecotic (P) def. David Zimmerman (UAB), 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
No. 2 - Matt Spindler (P) def. Lucas Dirube (UAB), 6-3, 7-6
No. 3 - Danny Manlow (UAB) def. Augie Bloom (P), 7-5, 6-3
No. 4 - Tom Puetz (UAB) def. Dan Richardson (P), 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 - Daniel Moser (UAB) def. Alex Faust (P), 6-2, 4-6, 11-9
No. 6 - Chris Helliar (UAB) def. Coleman Crutchfield (P), 6-4, 6-4
Records: UAB 4-7, Princeton 7-6
