Tartans Top St. Francis with Strong Play

(GREENSBURG, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University men's tennis team hosted Division I St. Francis University on Friday, February 13 at the Greensburg Racket Club, defeating the Red Flash 4-3. The Tartans are now 4-2 on the year while the Red Flash fall to 2-4.

Playing by Division I rules where one point is awarded for doubles, the Tartans took the point and swept the three matches. The No. 1 pair of seniors Will Duncan (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) and Christian Heaney-Secord (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) started the match with an 8-5 win. Sophomore Jack Kasbeer (Lake Forest, Ill./Deerfield) and freshman Matt Seifert (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) then won 8-5 at No. 3 doubles and senior Bryce Beisswanger (Los Angeles, Calif./Viewpoint School) and junior Yuvraj Kumar (New Delhi, India/Millfield School) finished it with an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles.

St. Francis tied the match win Duncan had to retire at No. 3 singles with Plamen Avuski leading 4-3 in the first set.

Heaney-Secord and Wadwani then gave the Tartans a 3-1 lead with wins at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-3, and No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-4, respectively.

Junior Abhishek Alla (Hyderabad, India/IMG Pendleton School) lost in a battle at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-3, before freshman Tommy Cheng (Cupertino, Calif./Cupertino) sealed the win at No. 6 singles, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

The Tartans will next compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Friday, February 20. The open the eight-team tournament against sixth-ranked Emory University at 12:30 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus in Saint Peter, Minn.