MOBILE, Ala. — No. 12 seed Missouri Baptist University men's tennis made history on Tuesday afternoon, defeating No. 21 seed Marian University, 4-1, in the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship First Round at the Mobile Tennis Center for the program's first-ever national tournament victory.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 21-6 on the season, continuing to add to the program's single-season wins record while extending their winning streak to four matches following the Heart of America Conference Tournament Championship victory a few weeks ago.
MBU came out strong in doubles play, securing the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. Luca Ebenriter and Sebastian Junghanns earned a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles, while Ruslan Anurev and Omar Farahat cruised to a 6-0 victory at No. 3 doubles.
The Spartans carried that momentum into singles competition and quickly closed in on the match victory. Ebenriter delivered a dominant performance at the top spot with a straight-set 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles, while Junghanns added another convincing result with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles.
Needing one more point to secure the historic victory, Nicolas Sanchez sealed the match for MBU with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles.
Marian's lone point came at No. 5 singles.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Missouri Baptist advances to the NAIA National Championship Second Round where the Spartans will face No. 5 seed Southeastern University on Wednesday at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.
