During the opening round of play at the 2021 DII Men’s National Team Indoor Championship, all but one of the seeded teams moved on to the semifinals. The Indy Greyhounds downed No. 3 seed Flagler in a statement 4-1 victory. Both Columbus State and West Florida blanked their opponents.
The two semifinal matchups will be Indianapolis versus West Florida and Drury versus Columbus State. They will take place at the Oklahoma City Tennis Center at 11:15 AM CT and 5:45 PM CT, respectively. Live results will be provided by Tennis Ticker.
Indianapolis def. Flagler 4-1
In the opening match of the day, Indianapolis downed three-seed Flagler to move onto the Indoors semifinals for the first time in program history. For Flagler, the loss marks the second straight year the Saints have fallen in the first round — the score both times being 4-1 in favor of their opponents. The Saints’ lone point came from their strong doubles performance. No. 1 and 3 doubles dominated for Flagler winning 6-2 and 6-1, respectively. However, singles would be the downfall of the Saints. Indy took all six first sets with their four wins coming at No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 singles. The winning point would come on court six from sophomore Jason Gerweck. At the time of clinch, Talimaa was nearing in on a win of his own for the Greyhounds, while at No. 1 singles Carvalho and Lima were battling early in the third set. The Greyhounds will meet the West Florida Argos tomorrow at 11:15 AM CT.
West Florida def. Delta State 4-0
The Argos made a strong statement in their opening round match against Delta State. No. 3 UWF blanked Delta State to secure their spot in the semifinals tomorrow. The Argos took the doubles point with the help of Nery/Bandeira and LeCoutre/Shkrob. Their momentum carried into singles as they took all six first sets over Delta State. The three singles points would come from court one, five, and six. Freshman Argo Adam Svensson clinched the victory for his team as he defeated Bracaval in straight sets. UWF will battle Indy tomorrow for a spot in the championship.
Drury def. Concordia Irvine 4-2
In the third quarterfinal of the day, the Drury Panthers downed No. 14 Concordia Irvine. The doubles point was decided on court one after the teams split on two and three. CUI’s duo of Smiej and Jansen edged out Hadeler and Wilken to put the Eagles up heading into singles. The match remained tight in singles with the two teams splitting the first sets evenly. However, Drury was able to hold onto their leads in each match, while CUI was not. The Panthers were able to split sets at No. 1 and 3 singles keeping the Eagles from narrowing in on a win. Drury would go on to win on court three in three sets along with wins at No. 2, No. 4, and No. 6. The sole singles win from the Eagles came from Benjamin Buck on court five. Drury will meet Columbus State tomorrow in the semifinals at 5:45 PM CT.
Columbus State def. Midwestern State 4-0
The defending Indoor champions and No. 1 team in the country Columbus State rolled Midwestern State. The Cougars set the tone early in doubles jumping out to sizable leads. It would be CSU’s No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams who would clinch the point for the Cougars. The Mustangs’ No. 1 and 2 players started strong in singles. Martinez-Roca edged out ITA Singles All-American Regalado in the first set, while Westwick took his first set over Garay. However on the lower four courts, the Cougars were in control. Cueto Ramos and Welz would add points two and three for CSU. On court three, Schold posted identical 6-4 sets over Palacios to seal the victory. Columbus State and Drury will play each other tomorrow in the semifinals at 5:45 PM CT.
