March 15, 2007
Fort Myers, FL - The University of Dayton men's tennis team battled hard on Wednesday evening, but eventually succumbed 5-4 to a nationally ranked Florida Gulf Coast team. The loss dropped the Flyers' overall spring record to 7-10 and concluded the team's three-match spring break road trip.
Against FGCU's Brenton Bacon, senior Tom Murphy (14-3) recorded another win, 6-7, 7-6, 1-1 (ret.), in the loss. Murphy's 14 singles wins leads the team.
Junior James O'Connell stayed right on his tail, however, with a win at second singles. O'Connell (11-5) defeated the Eagles' Alberto Gutierrez 6-3, 3-6, 5-4 (ret.).
Sophomore David Peyton (7-8) was the other singles winner for the Flyers, running his personal winning-streak to four matches. Peyton overtook FGCU's Brad Henderson 6-2, 6-3.
In doubles, UD managed to claim just one point as Murphy and O'Connell registered an 8-6 win over Gulf Coast's Baron/Gjesten. Murphy and O'Connell remain the Flyers' leading duo with an 8-6 doubles record.
Despite the close loss, the warm weather was good to the Flyers. During the trip UD picked up quality wins against Wisconsin-Green Bay and Fairleigh-Dickinson.
Now with just four matches remaining in the regular season, according to head coach Steve Brumbaugh, Dayton is starting to peak at the right time for another postseason run -- UD finished fourth at last year's Atlantic 10 Championships.
"This team is starting to build some momentum heading into the Atlantic 10," Brumbaugh said. "David Peyton went 3-0 in singles this week. It's a big lift for us."
The Eagles, playing on their home court, forced Dayton to score under their nine-point system. The nine-point method of scoring awards points to a team for each individual doubles victory. Using the seven-point Division I method, the Flyers would have come out on top yesterday.
None of that concerns Brumbaugh -- whose team has won two of its past three matches -- he sees nothing but progress from a team that has gone through some rough spots and growing pains this season.
"Murphy and O'Connell were good and played well for us," Brumbaugh said. "If we can start picking up some wins down low, we'll be on the right track."
Peyton will be a big factor in earning the Flyers some points at the bottom of the order. The sophomore has come on strong of late, beginning with a win at Butler, with four straight singles wins.
The Flyers will look to pick up some more steam over their remaining three non-conference matches against Wright State, Northern Kentucky, and Valparaiso.
The Flyers will also have one more chance to test their mettle against Atlantic 10 competition. The Temple Owls come to Dayton on March 24 to take on UD. The match will take place at Dayton Center Courts and is scheduled for a noon start time.
