Off to their best start in five years, the Covenant men's tennis team continues to show vast improvement in 2015. The Scots finished off a perfect 3-0 weekend with victories over USA South member Ferrum and non-conference foe Lynchburg on Saturday. The men took down Ferrum 8-1 and then defeated Lynchburg 7-2.
The Scots move to 4-2 overall on the year and 2-0 in the USA South. The six-match record to start the season matches the best in program history. The 2-0 conference mark also sets a program best to start a season.
In Saturday's opener at Ferrum, Covenant took all three doubles matches and cruised to the 8-1 victory. No. 1 doubles tandem of Matthew Harvie and Chris Cox proved to be too much for Ferrum's duo as they took an 8-1 win. Michael O'Brien and Dan Madden combined for an 8-1 win at the No. 2 spot, while Roy Anderson and Travis Hutchinson finished off the doubles sweep with an 8-5 victory at No. 3.
Harvie dispatched Taylor Napier 6-0, 6-1 in No. 1 singles and Cox took a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 over Garrett Freese. O'Brien, John Granholm and Jay Pannkuk were also winners in singles play.
Against Lynchburg, Covenant started off much the same way winning all three doubles matches. The same three doubles teams (Harvie/Cox, O'Brien/Madden and Anderson/Hutchinson) took care of business to give the Scots a commanding 3-0 lead.
Lynchburg claimed two singles victories, but the Scots were able to hang on for the win. O'Brien, playing at the No. 1 spot, was forced to three sets but prevailed 3-6, 6-2, 10-6. Anderson took a win at No. 3, while Connor Shimmel and Hutchinson each recorded victories at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.
Covenant will be back on the court on Saturday, March 14 against William Peace (10 a.m.) and Johnson (5:30 p.m.) on Lookout Mountain. The William Peace match will not count towards USA South standings.
The women's tennis team continued to play well in the early part of the season as they also took wins over Ferrum and Lynchburg. The Lady Scots took a 9-0 decision over Ferrum and a 7-2 victory over Lynchburg.
The wins improve Covenant's overall record to 5-1 and a perfect 2-0 in USA South play.
In the day's first match at Ferrum, Covenant had little difficulty in taking care of the host Panthers. Annie DeLuca and Lindsay Geving earned a victory at the No. 1 doubles spot 8-1 while Gracie Smith and Jennie Spielman shutout their opponent 8-0 at No. 2.
For a second straight day, Covenant was given victories by forfeit as Ferrum had five available players resulting in two giveaway wins for the Lady Scots.
In the singles round, Gretchen Rowe earned a 6-4, 6-2 win over Rebecca Harbeck and Claire Luger defeated Ashley Foster 6-3, 6-2. DeLuca, Smith and Jessica Rowe all recorded shutouts in the singles wins.
In Saturday's second contest at Lynchburg, the Lady Scots faced a slightly stiffer foe in the host Hornets. Covenant took two of three doubles matches as the teams of Gretchen Rowe and Luger along with Smith and Geving cruised to victories to put Covenant ahead 2-1 heading into singles.
Luger earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles over Chloe Fisher and Smith took a 6-3, 6-0 win over Madison Karnes at the No. 3 spot. Geving and Spielman were also winners at No.s 4 and 5, respectively. Gretchen Rowe outlasted Lynchburg's Melissa Drinkard in a three sets 6-0, 2-6, 13-11 at the No. 1 spot.
Covenant will look to keep its winning streak alive next weekend when they host William Peace and Johnson on Saturday, March 14. The match vs. William Peace is set to start at 10 a.m., while the Johnson contest is set for 5:30 p.m.