ROME, Ga. – A depleted men's roster rallied around their teammates and claimed a win from the Berry College Vikings to close out conference play today and claim the No. 4 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
 
Despite having to default a doubles point at line three and a singles point at line six, the men's tennis team was able to win one of the remaining two doubles points and all five eligible singles points to defeat the Berry Men's Tennis Team 6-3. 
 
Albert Vacheron and Daniel Olivier played their first match at line one doubles and were unable to win the point for the Lynx.  But new tandem of Luis Ardila and Greyson Brilliant may have saved the match for Rhodes College with one of the gutsiest performances any Lynx Tennis players have played all year. 
 
"I knew they had it all along.  Never doubted them for a second," commented Coach Dodd after the match.  "They played from their heart and really rallied the troops when they could have just as easily given up." 
 
Ardila and Brilliant battled to take the second doubles match to a tiebreaker and fell behind 5-2 with Berry's best server ready to close out the match.  But big returns and crisp volleys brought the Lynx back to a level score.  Down 6-7, Ardila, a first time doubles player this year, had already been broken twice earlier in the set and had lost both of his service points in the tiebreaker.  Undeterred, he came up with two big first serves and set Brilliant up for easy volley put-aways to take the lead for the first time in the tiebreaker.  From that point on they never trailed and closed out the 'breaker 12-10.
 
That win on line two may well have been the difference for the Lynx as they only dropped one set in the remaining five matches, and won all five points.  Once again, Ardila stepped up and cruised to his first singles victory of the year 6-2, 6-2, and freshman Weston Breay looked like a veteran on court five singles battling in a third set and grinding out the win. 
 
"I'm so proud of the guys that played today.  This is why you become a coach, to see moments of sheer determination and pride for your institution," said Coach Dodd.
 
Fired up and expecting a big showing in the conference tournament, the Lynx will enter as the No. 4 seed on April 25 at the Old Fort Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
 
Rhodes College 6, Berry College 3
April 13, 2014
Berry College Tennis Courts
Rome, GA
 
Singles Competition
Albert Vacheron (RC) def. Logan Yerbey (BC) 7-5, 7-5
Greyson Brilliant (RC) def. Seth Taylor (BC) 6-0, 6-1
Daniel Olivier (RC) def. Michael Tucker (BC) 6-3, 6-2
Luis Ardila (RC) def. Daniel Alligood (BC) 6-2, 6-2
Weston Breay (RC) def. Jake Pullen (BC) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
Austin Miller (BC) def. No Player (RC) Walkover
 
Doubles Competition
Pullen/Yerbey (BC) def. Vacheron/Olivier (RC) 8-6
Brilliant/Ardila (RC) def. Tucker/Taylor (BC) 9-8 (12-10)
Miller/Alligood (BC) def. No Player (RC) Walkover
 
Match Notes
Rhodes College 9-7 (4-3); No. 16 Regional Ranking
Berry College 8-7 (2-4)
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 2) Singles (2, 3, 4, 1, 5)