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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers took on their second NCAA Division I scholarship opponent of the 2010-11 season and this time nearly pulled off the upset, falling 5-4 to the University of Dayton in a match moved to Springfield Racquet Club due to unseasonably cold temperatures.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 9-3 on the season, compared to Dayton's 2-10 record. The road doesn't get any easier for Wittenberg with perennial North Coast Athletic Conference scheduled to come calling at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 29.
The Tigers started off the match with a tremendous performance in the doubles competition. The No. 2 doubles tandem of senior Bobby Fisher (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) and freshman Tyler Strong (Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual) posted a 9-7 victory, matched by the score at No. 3 doubles in a victory by freshman Sam Wilke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) and sophomore Sergio Fishkin (Minsk, Belarus).
Fisher then picked up a win at No. 1 singles when his opponent retired when trailing 2-0 in the third set. Fishkin added a three-set win at No. 3 singles, claiming the third set in a tiebreaker by a score of 11-9. The day's third and final three-setter was won by Dayton at No. 6 singles, despite a 6-0 first-set win for freshman Jonathan Mueller (Bexley, Ohio/Hartley).