CLEVELAND - No. 6 Trinity University Men's Tennis collected a 5-4 decision over No. 7 Brandeis University (MA) Friday afternoon in the first day of the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Indoor National Championship, hosted by No. 2 Case Western Reserve University.
The Tigers (5-1) trailed following doubles action though a decisive 8-3 victory for the nation's second-ranked doubles pair, senior Christian Settles (Claremont, Calif. / Claremont) and junior Hao Nguyen (Sugar Land, Texas / Strake Jesuit), over the Judges' No. 15 duo kept the margin to just a 2-1 deficit heading into singles action.
Nguyen made quick work of his second-line opponent, 6-2, 6-0, to draw the dual back to another one-point margin at 3-2 as individual play rolled on. The Brandeis's fourth point came soon after, leaving the Trinity squad with its back against the wall.
Senior Cameron Krimbill (Phoenix, Ariz. / Desert Mountain) defended his No. 7 ranking with a 6-4, 6-3 output from the first line. The two-time All-American had a rally effort of his own as he collected six-straight games to come from the 4-0 first-set deficit before cruising to his straight-sets victory. With the match now at 4-3, Settles and first-year Connor Whittington (Lake Oswego, Oregon / Lake Oswego) were left to seize the momentum of the first-flight victory.
At the time Krimbill's victory was sealed, Settles and Whittington both had their first set in hand but battled fierce competition as both Tigers were tied in their second frames, 3-3 and 5-5, respectively. Whittington collected his first singles victory on the national stage with the final two of four-straight games to announce the match as tied.
The war of attrition set in on Settles's fourth-line matchup at this point as both squads lined up in anticipation. Now in a 4-4 second-set draw, Settles rattled off back-to-back games to complete his 7-5, 6-4 victory, and Trinity's 5-4 match victory over the Judges.
Up Next
No. 6 Trinity Men's Tennis moves on to face this year's host No. 2 Spartans tomorrow afternoon. First serve of doubles action is slated for 1 p.m. ET, Noon CT. The victor will meet the winner of No. 3 Washington University (MO) and No. 11 University of Chicago in Sunday's championship final.
