BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- It was a hard-fought battle, but ultimately second-seeded Cumberlands got past the University of Pikeville men's tennis team 5-3 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Mid-South Conference Tournament.
With the match tied 1-1 through two doubles finishes, the Patriots won a pivotal point at the No. 2 seed as Daniel Butcher and Aatu Merenheimo beat Enzo Douillac and Jan Kappes 9-8 after a 9-7 win in the tiebreaker.
But UPIKE didn't let the close loss bother it as it bounced back to capture the first singles match to finish as Douillac topped Yusuke Matsuoka 6-1, 6-2 to bring the match to a 2-2 tie.
Cumberlands (13-6) started to pull away with wins at the top and No. 4 seeds. Ariez Heshaam won against Kappes 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot, while Daniel Fraser took down Fernando Fernandez 7-5, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot.
UPIKE pulled with one at 4-3 after Juan Reyes outlasted Merenheimo 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the No. 5 seed before Butcher closed out the win for the Patriots by beating Pablo Casas 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the second seed.
With the win, the Patriots advance to Monday's championship match against No. 1-seed Lindsey Wilson, while the Bears drop to 11-5 on the season in a year which included ranked wins against No. 17 Campbellsville and No. 23 Cumberland (Tenn.).
-UPIKE-
