Falcons Drop 4-3 Decision to UC Riverside
    AFA falls to 0-2 this spring

    Junior Austin Francis
    Junior Austin Francis

    Jan. 18, 2009

    The Air Force men's tennis team dropped its second straight match to open the 2009 season Sunday with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to UC Riverside in Murrieta, CA.

    The Falcons claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. Brett Rodgers and Taylor Soster won at the No. 2 position, while Mike Gies and Johnny Buckingham captured the No. 3 match.

    Unfortunately for the Falcons, UCR won four of the six singles matches to win the match. John Park finished first for the Highlanders as he evened the score at one all after defeating Gies 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4. Yi Chai then won his match at the No. 6, 6-4, 6-3 over Buckingham to put UCR up 2-1.

    Junior Austin Francis (No. 1) and freshman Cody Hall (No. 2) won 6-3, 6-3 and 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 respectively in their singles matches, giving Air Force a 3-2 advantage. But the Highlanders rallied by winning the last two matches as Quoc Doan came back from a first set loss to defeat Rodgers 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, at No. 3 to set up the final match. Sophomore Taylor Soster, suffering from severe cramps in the third set, dropped a heartbreaking match to Raineir Matias, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4). Soster was forced to serve underhanded for most of the third set due to his cramping.

    The Falcons host Eastern Washington on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m.

    UC Riverside 4, Air Force 3
    January 18, 2009 at Murrieta, CA

    Singles
    1. Austin Francis (AF) def. Felix Macherez (UCR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
    2. Cody Hall (AF) def. Gorjan Kovacevic (UCR) 6-3, 6-3
    3. Quoc Doan (UCR) def. Brett Rodgers (AF) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
    4. John Park (UCR) def. Mike Gies (AF) 6-0, 6-2
    5. Raineir Matias (UCR) def. Taylor Soster (AF) 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4)
    6. Yi Chai (UCR) def. Johnny Buckingham (AF) 6-4, 6-3

     

     

    Doubles
    1. Doan/Macherez (UCR) def. Francis/Hall (AF) 8-4
    2. Rodgers/Soster (AF) def. Andres/Matias (UCR) 8-3
    3. Buckingham/Gies (AF) def. Park/Peterson (UCR) 8-3
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