KWU Athletics
TOPEKA – Kansas Wesleyan went head-to-head with Southwestern in the KCAC Semifinal round on Friday, but fell in a marathon match at Genesis Wood Valley. Final score was 4-2 in favor of the Moundbuilders.
The match was moved indoors from Kossover Complex due to inclement weather that affected the entire region on Friday.
The Coyotes dropped the doubles point to Southwestern as the Moundbuilders won the matches at No. 1 and No. 3, while KWU won the No. 2 flight. David Moral-Tebar and Ryan Kitchin beat Daniel Harkin (FR/Manhattan, Kan.) and Alex Sherer (FR/Rossville, Kan.) 6-4 at No. 1. Federico Poi and Emanuel Azam beat Rodrigo Vera (SR/Lima, Peru) and Braeden Lewis (FR/Edmond, Okla.) 6-2 at No. 3. Bryce Ware (FR/Amarillo, Texas) and Garrison Wright (FR/Maize, Kan.) got a doubles win at No. 2 beating Marcelo Mann and Benjamin Erdmann 6-1.
Southwestern got wins in three singles matches, with one still on-court when the match was clinched.
The No. 6 flight was on-court between Azam and Wes Robertson (SO/Edmond, Okla.) in the third set, tied 1-1 when the match was called. Robertson had won the first set 7-5, Azam won the second 7-6 on a tiebreaker.
The Coyotes got wins at No.2 as Ware dispatched Kitchin 6-3, 6-2; and at No. 3 as Sherer beat Poi in three sets, 6-0, 3-6, 7-5.
In the other matches, Moral-Tebar beat Harkin in a three-set thriller, 2-6, 7-6 on a 9-7 tiebreak, 6-4 at No. 1. Erdmann beat Wright at No. 4 6-3, 6-2. Jonathan De la O beat Vera 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 5.
KWU finishes its season at 9-8 overall and 7-2 in the KCAC, a remarkable turnaround from last season when KWU was 2-11 overall and 0-8 in the conference.