Stags conclude five-match week with 9-0 win at #15 Redlands

Top ranked CMS Stags Tennis punctuated a five-match week with an emphatic 9-0 win at #15 Redlands on Saturday. Junior Warren Wood (Del Mar, CA) turned in an epic performance at #1 singles, coming back from a set and a break down to win in a third set tie-break.

The #1 singles match featured the #1 and #3 ranked singles players in the west region in Wood and Redlands' Pat Lipscomb. Lipscomb was unstoppable early, winning the first set 6-2. Wood broke in the fourth game of the second set to take a 3-1 lead which he gave back in the next game. Lipscomb's break in the ninth game gave him the opportunity to serve for the match, but Wood broke back to even the set at 5-all. After trading holds, Wood raised his game to take the second set breaker by a 7-1 score. With the dual match already decided, both players decided to play a full third set, which did not disappoint. Each player held six times to force a final set tie-break. Wood dictated play in the final ten points of the match to earn the 7-3 tie-break victory, his sixth singles tie-break win against no losses this season.

With one additional tie-break win at #3 doubles, the Stags improve to 25-6 in tie-breaks in 2014. CMS' number three team of Daniel Morkovine (Fr. - San Carlos, CA) and Zhenya Pereverzin (Sr. Capt - Clackamas, OR) won their fourth match together - needing a 7-3 tie-break to do so - giving the Stags their fifth consecutive doubles sweep against D3 competition.

Both Morkovine and Pereverzin were also straight set winners in singles at the #4 and #5 positions. Pereverzin came back from a two service break deficit in the first at 2-5, winning the final five games of the set and then 6-2 in the second. Morkovine provided the dual match clinching win with his 6-3, 6-2 victory at #4. Sophomore Lestter Yeh (Arcadia, CA) won his fourth match of the week at the #6 position. His 6-0, 6-2 win was the first singles match completed, putting the Stags up 4-0.

CMS completes a week of matches that began at #5 UCLA on Tuesday, then continued at home against Pacific University and #3 Williams, then wrapping up on the road at Chapman, and #15 Redlands. The Stags were 4-1 in that stretch, losing 4-0 to UCLA, but only dropping one individual match in the four dual matches against D3 opposition.

CMS is now 18-1 overall and 4-0 in SCIAC. The Stags host #20 Cal Lutheran on Friday at 2:00 PM, and then #13 Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 6:00 PM. Both matches will be at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

#1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8) vs. #15 Redlands (0)
March 29, 2014 at Redlands, CA (Verdieck Courts)

Doubles
1. Joe Dorn / Warren Wood (CMS) def. Pat Lipscomb / Gram Leahy (Redlands) 8-5
2. Neel Kotrappa / Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Nick Cummins / Teddy Jones (Redlands) 8-3
3. Zhenya Pereverzin / Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Ted Burchett / Jake Ly (Redlands) 9-8(3)

Singles
1. Warren Wood (CMS) def. Pat Lipscomb (Redlands) 2-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(3)
2. Joe Dorn (CMS) def. Nick Cummins (Redlands) 6-3, 6-4
3. Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Tom Suchodolsky (Redlands) 6-2, 6-1
4. Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Ted Burchett (Redlands) 6-3, 6-2
5. Zhenya Pereverzin (CMS) def. Parker Wilson (Redlands) 7-5, 6-2
6. Lestter Yeh (CMS) def. Gram Leahy (Redlands) 6-0, 6-2

Order of completion
Doubles: 2, 1, 3
Singles: 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1