FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - No. 8 Trinity University Men's Tennis had its run at the 2022 NCAA III National Championship cut short Sunday afternoon in the NCAA III Regional finale by No. 13 Emory University (GA), 5-4, at the Hegmann Family Tennis Complex on the campus of University of Mary Washington.
The Tigers (15-7) opened Sunday's NCAA III third-round affair with a small rally in doubles play through a pair of 8-6 victories in lines one and three of the early session. Senior Christian Settles (Claremont, Calif. / Claremont) and junior Hao Nguyen (Sugar Land, Texas / Strake Jesuit) improved to 12-straight to even the match tally, followed by senior Cameron Krimbill (Phoenix, Ariz. / Desert Mountain) and junior Alessio Azzalini (Rome, Italy / Istituto Visconti) for the 2-1 advantage.
Krimbill was allowed to finish his line-one match for the first time in nearly six weeks to kick off the singles portion, 6-3, 6-2. The decorated Tiger senior is 12-4 for the season, and has held strong advantages in his previous three matches that went unfinished.
Settles returned Trinity to a two-point advantage at 4-2 after a dominating first-set shutout carried through for a 6-4 victory in the second. The true-senior concludes his singles campaign winning five of his last six completed matches, while holding a pair of 6-2, 3-0 leads in that span as well.
After dropping line five in straight sets, the Tigers were left with a pair of third-set matches in progress. Saturday's clincher, first-year Eric Liao (Taipei, Taiwan / Boca Prep), put together a 6-4 victory in his first frame and went blow-for-blow in the second but fell on a 7-5 breaker score to force a third set.
Azzalini and his Eagle adversary traded 6-2 marks, first for Trinity, then for Emory. Midway through the third, the match was ended in retirement against the Tigers. Liao was not able to recollect his early momentum and ceded his third set, 6-2.
Up Next
While the dual match season came to close in Sunday's NCAA III Regional final, three members of No. 8 Trinity Men's Tennis will take part in the 2022 NCAA III Singles and Doubles Championships in Orlando, Florida. Krimbill has been selected for the singles tournament while Settles and Nguyen will take part in doubles competition.
