SEARCY – The Harding men’s tennis team opened the 2006-07 season with a 6-3 victory over Hendrix on Tuesday at the Harding tennis courts. It was the Bisons’ 86th consecutive win against the Warriors, dating back to 1979.
Harding (1-0) typically plays a few matches during the fall before its full slate of matches in the spring. Tuesday’s match was the first of two for the Bisons this week. Harding also plays Lyon College in Batesville on Thursday.
Harding breezed through the three doubles matches, but Hendrix (0-1) battled back to split the six singles matches.
Three Bison players made their collegiate debuts against the Warriors—Lico Mejia of San Salvador, El Salvador; Olzhas Taniyev of Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Jordan Fowler of Duncanville, Texas. Mejia and Taniyev both won their first singles matches without losing a game.
Final Results
Harding 6, Hendrix 3
Doubles
- Lico Mejia/Ryan Roberts (HU) d. Adam Brown/Eric Pallin (HC) – 8-1
- Olzhas Taniyev/Ethan Bryant (HU) d. Will Matthews/Ryan Strickland (HC) – 8-1
- Enrique Mendoza/Jordan Fowler (HU) d. Ryan Bean/Austin Kearney (HC) – 8-4
Singles
- Brown (HC) d. Roberts (HU) – 7-5, 6-4
- Mejia (HU) d. Matthews (HC) – 6-0, 6-0
- Taniyev (HU) d. Bean (HC) – 6-0, 6-0
- Bryant (HU) d. Strickland (HC) – 6-4, 6-2
- Pallin (HC) d. Mendoza (HU) – 4-6, 7-5, 10-7
- Kearney (HC) d. Brett Hoch (HU) – 2-6, 6-4, 10-7
