ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– After teaming up to win the match that determined the doubles point, Peter Lohrbach (So., Little Neck, N.Y.) won the singles match that gave the Navy men's tennis team a 4-0 victory over Army West Point, Saturday at the Malek Tennis Courts in West Point, N.Y. The match between the Mids (28-13, 6-0 Patriot League) and the Black Knights (12-13, 6-1) served as the Star Match between the teams, part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA.
The victory by the men's tennis team coupled with a win earlier in the day by the Navy women's lacrosse team over its Army counterparts clinches the 2018-19 Star Series for the Mids. With just next weekend's baseball series in Annapolis remaining, Navy leads Army 13-10 in Star Games this year.
"It was a great win by the team," said Navy head coach Chris Garner. "The individual matches were close throughout play and we feel fortunate to be able to come away with the road win against another very good Army team."
As was to be expected, the teams played three close doubles matches on Saturday. Navy's No. 1 team of Jack Dabek (Fr., Dublin, Ohio) and Andrew Ton (So., Milpitas, Calif.) won a 6-4 decision over Myles Conlin and Nikita Larichev. Each of the remaining two matches were extended into tiebreakers. The Mids clinched the doubles point when their No. 2 team of Lohrbach and Derrick Thompson (Fr., Towson, Md.) won the breaker over David Gorshein and David Mitchell.
The remaining match was between Navy's team of Greg Durham (Jr., Melbourne Beach, Fla.) and Jake Fishkin (Fr., Baltimore, Md.) and Army's tandem of Diego Huttepain and Alejandro Quiros.
"The doubles point could have gone either way," said Garner. "Our teams were able to edge Army in two close matches."
Jack McBride (Fr., Chapel Hill, N.C.) placed Navy's second point on the board when he defeated Larichev, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 4 singles. The lead grew to 3-0 when Durham defeated Mitchell, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 3 singles. Lohrbach then closed out play when he defeated Gorshein, 6-4, 6-2, at the No. 6 flight.
In the matches left on the courts when play was halted, Conlin led Ton, 6-4, 4-2, at No. 1 singles, Huttepain led Thompson, 6-4, 2-4, at No. 2 singles and Fishkin led Grant Patterson, 6-0, 2-6, 4-2, at the No. 5 flight.
"Jack, Greg and Peter all played really well in winning straight set matches and get us to four points," said Garner.
Navy is now the presumptive No. 1 seed in this week's Patriot League Tournament and Army is the No. 2 seed. The bracket and official seeding for the event that will be hosted by the Black Knights will be announced early this week.
Navy def. Army, 4-0
Doubles – Navy wins the doubles point (1-2)
1. Dabek, Jack / Ton, Andrew (NAVY) def. Conlin, Myles / Larichev, Nikita (ARMY) 6-4
2. Lohrbach, Peter / Thompson, Derrick (NAVY) def. Gorshein, David / Mitchell, David (ARMY) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Durham, Greg / Fishkin, Jake (NAVY) vs. Huttepain, Diego / Quiros, Alejandro (ARMY) 6-6, unfinished
Singles (4-3-6)
1. Ton, Andrew (NAVY) vs. Conlin, Myles (ARMY) 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
2. Thompson, Derrick (NAVY) vs. Huttepain, Diego (ARMY) 4-6, 4-2, unfinished
3. Durham, Greg (NAVY) def. Mitchell, David (ARMY) 6-3, 6-2
4. McBride, Jack (NAVY) def. Larichev, Nikita (ARMY) 6-1, 6-3
5. Fishkin, Jake (NAVY) vs. Patterson, Grant (ARMY) 6-0, 2-6, 4-2, unfinished
6. Lohrbach, Peter (NAVY) def. Gorshein, David (ARMY) 6-4, 6-2
