Harding Men's Tennis Upsets No. 13 Drury, 5-2

Box Score SEARCY – After dropping two close matches to teams in NCAA Division II's top 50, Harding men's tennis clinched its first victory of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, triumphing over 13th-ranked Drury from the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a score of 5-2 on Sunday at the David Elliott Tennis Complex.

With this win, Harding's overall record improved to 9-6, with three additional wins against junior colleges. Notably, this victory marked only the second time in the last 13 meetings that Harding defeated Drury. The teams competed in Searcy for the first time since 1999.

The Bisons continued their dominance in doubles play, securing the doubles point for the ninth time in 15 matches. Harding boasts a 7-2 record when winning the doubles point.

Cas de Ruiter and Cian Mikkelsen emerged victorious with a score of 6-2 at No. 1, while Caleb Folse and Jaydon van Vreden secured a 7-5 win at No. 3, earning the crucial doubles point. De Ruiter and Mikkelsen, now 6-6 at No. 1, and Folse and van Vreden, now 6-1 at No. 3, celebrated their fifth consecutive victory as a duo.

Harding sealed the match with three straight-sets singles wins.

Cas de Ruiter, ranked 51st in Division II singles, defeated the 41st-ranked Division II player with scores of 6-4, 6-2. This victory marked de Ruiter's sixth consecutive singles win and his fourth against a nationally ranked player this season. He leads the team with 11 singles victories and nine wins in dual matches.

Luis Agullo claimed victory at No. 4 with scores of 6-2, 6-2, improving his singles record to 8-5.

Cian Mikkelsen secured a win at No. 5 with scores of 6-3, 7-6, boosting his singles record to 7-6.

Harding's final point came from Teodor Zlatar in three sets at No. 2. He secured victory with scores of 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, improving to 11-3 overall and 9-2 in dual matches.

Harding's upcoming match is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. against Freed-Hardeman. This marks the first meeting between the teams in men's tennis since 2007.

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Players Mentioned

Cas de Ruiter: 6' 7"; Sophomore

Teodor Zlatar: 6' 4"; Sophomore

Caleb Folse: 6' 1"; Freshman

Cian Mikkelsen: 6' 4"; Freshman

Luis Agullo: 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Cas de Ruiter
: 6' 7"; Sophomore

Teodor Zlatar
: 6' 4"; Sophomore

Caleb Folse
: 6' 1"; Freshman

Cian Mikkelsen
: 6' 4"; Freshman

Luis Agullo
: 5' 11"; Junior