Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Connecticut
Men's Tennis Outlasted, 4-3, By Connecticut
February 13, 2011 | Men's Tennis
WEST POINT, N.Y. - With a lineup that featured four freshmen, the Army men's tennis team lost a hard-fought battle against Connecticut, 4-3, Saturday afternoon at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center. With the loss, the Black Knights fall to 1-4 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 1-0.
Senior Tripp Johnson had another stellar day for the Black Knights, securing his third singles victory of the spring season. Johnson defeated Andrew Marcus, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 1 spot, improving to 2-0 on the weekend. The three wins in 2011 match freshman Asika Isoh for the team lead.
In three career dual matches against the Huskies, the Army senior finishes his career with a perfect 3-0 mark. Johnson began his tenure at West Point with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joey Michaels in his freshman season, and continued the success in his junior season against Joe Goldstein when he prevailed, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5.
"Tripp has really been hot lately," said Army head coach Jim Poling. "With so many freshmen in our lineup right now, he has really stepped up and taken the lead, it's been great."
After UConn swept doubles to go ahead, 1-0, Johnson evened the score at 1-1. Freshman Henry Jang-Milsten fell to Scott Warden, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 2 singles, while sophomore Alex Holland prevailed at No. 3, 6-2, 6-2, over Jai Yoon, to once again even the score at 2-2.
The final three deciding matches extended to three sets apiece, making the tension inside Lichtenberg palpable.
With standout freshman Asika Isoh sidelined with an injury, classmate Rommel Verano stepped up. Verano secured his first singles victory of the spring season, defeating Dave Adams at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
Despite each winning their first sets, freshmen Allen Xu (No. 5) and Josh Cook (No. 6) lost their final two sets as UConn squeaked out the 4-3 victory.
The win marked the Huskies' second victory over the Black Knights in the past three season, but Army still owns the all-time advantage, 9-2.
The Black Knights return to the courts at Lichtenberg on Friday, Feb. 18, when they host Sacred Heart at 6 p.m.
Connectict - 4
Army - 3
Doubles
1. Marcus/Warden (UConn) def. Johnson/Holland, 8-5
2. Yoon/Adams (UConn) def. Jang-Milsten/Verano, 8-5
3. Lin/Cardona (UConn) def. Shaffer/Clark, 8-6
Singles
1. Tripp Johnson (Army) def. Andrew Marcus, 6-3, 6-3
2. Scott Warden (UConn) def. Henry Jang-Milsten, 6-1, 6-3
3. Alex Holland (Army) def. Jai Yoon, 6-2, 6-2
4. Rommel Verano (Army) def. Dave Adams, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
5. Ryan Carr (UConn) def. Allen Xu, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Wei Lin (UConn) def. Josh Cook, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
Players Mentioned
