BALTIMORE – The UMBC men's tennis team blanked local foe Morgan State, 6-0, at 40 West Racquet Club. The Retrievers evened their record at 3-3 on the 2014 campaign.
The two teams did not compete in doubles competition.
Sophomores Alex Drean (Bayonne, France) and Justin Carter (Randallstown, Md.) made quick work of their opponents at Nos. 3 and 1 singles respectively. Drean defeated Ty Abraham, 6-2, 6-1 and Carter cruised past Evan Ward, 6-1, 6-1. Junior Daniel Gray (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) was ahead, 6-4, 4-1, at the No. 4 slot, when his opponent was forced to retire, giving the Retrievers a 3-0 lead.
Junior Kamal Patel (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jannick Tash at the No. 5 position.
Sophomore Melker Svard (Gothenburg, Sweden) was matched up with the Bears' regular No. 1 player, Duk Young-Park at the No. 2 slot and outlasted his opponent, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. Freshman Biyik Akinshemoyin (Laurel, Md./Resevoir) completed the sweep with a 6-3, 7-6 triumph in the No. 6 position.
"The guys rebounded nicely from the Penn State match and came out strong from start to finish," said head coach Rob Hubbard. "Justin Carter and Alex Drean were particularly sharp in their play. We still have some things to work on but I am happy with the continuing improvement of the team."
UMBC returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 22, when they host James Madison at 40 West.
