MILLS SHOWS LEADERSHIP IN 4-3 VICTORY FOR MEN’S TENNIS

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RESULTS

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Last July, Radford men's tennis head coach Mike Anderson named Joe Mills team captain for the upcoming season. "[Joe] has developed into an outstanding leader," Anderson said in the press release. "I am confident in giving Joe this opportunity to lead our program."

With the Big South men's tennis dual between Radford and Gardner-Webb tied at 3, Mills affirmed his coach's confidence by clinching the match at No. 5 singles in lifting the Highlanders to their first win of the season Sunday afternoon at the Webb Tennis Complex.

"We managed to keep mentally tough after our slow start to the match," Mills said following his win. "Give credit to Gardner-Webb. They were a gritty bunch and were determined to take us down. This was a good test for us, and I am proud of our team for finding a way to win. Hopefully this can springboard the team forward as we head to Kentucky in a couple weeks."

Like their previous three matches, the Highlanders (1-3, 1-1 Big South) had to dig out of an early 1-0 deficit after dropping the doubles point. Brendan Dempsey and Tyler Macy downed Mills and Javier Waase at the third flight, 8-5.

Playing for the first time together, the RU tandem of Janken Thoen and Nico Ascarrunz defeated Benjamin Kaszas and Pepe Batalla, 8-5, on court two. The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-6, 0-1 Big South) clinched the point at the top spot where Nikita Zverkov and Ernest Alberch outlasted Nicholas Sayer and Patrick O'Keefe, 8-6.

Wins at the third and fourth flights, pushed Gardner-Webb ahead, 3-0. Sayer put a halt to the Runnin' Bulldogs' momentum when he earned a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Kaszas at the No. 1 position.

Radford's rally continued when O'Keefe secured a 7-5, 6-3 win in the second slot over Zverkov. Moments later, Aymeric Autones delivered a pivotal 6-2, 6-2 win over Batalla at the sixth flight to tie the match at 3, which set the stage for Mills' heroics.

After Mills scrapped out a 6-4 victory in the first set, the senior broke Jonathan Walker late in the second set to capture a 7-5 decision and complete Radford's comeback.

The Highlanders return to action in a couple weekends when the Highlanders collide with Kennesaw State (March 1) and Eastern Kentucky (March 2) in Richmond, Ky.

Radford (4) def. Gardner-Webb (3)
Webb Tennis Complex (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
Sunday, February 16, 2014

Doubles competition
1. Nikita Zverkov / Ernest Alberch (GWU) def. Nicholas Sayer / Patrick O'Keefe (RU), 8-6
2. Janken Thoen / Nico Ascarrunz (RU) def. Benjamin Kaszas / Pepe Batalla (GWU), 8-5
3. Brendan Dempsey / Tyler Macy (GWU) def. Joe Mills / Javier Waase (RU), 8-5

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1*

Singles competition
1. Nicholas Sayer (RU) def. Benjamin Kaszas (GWU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Patrick O'Keefe (RU) def. Nikita Zverkov (GWU), 7-5, 6-3
3. Brendan Dempsey (GWU) def. Nico Ascarrunz (RU), 6-1, 6-2
4. Ernest Alberch (GWU) def. Janken Thoen (RU), 6-1, 6-0
5. Joe Mills (RU) def. Jonathan Walker (GWU), 6-4, 7-5
6. Aymeric Autones (RU) def. Pepe Batalla (GWU), 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 4, 3, 1, 2, 6, 5*

Match Notes
Radford (1-3, 1-1 Big South)
Gardner-Webb (2-6, 0-1 Big South)
Time – 3:00

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