BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- Davis & Elkins overcame an early gut punch from host West Virginia Wesleyan to take a 4-3 victory Wednesday afternoon in men's tennis action.
 
The Senators fought back from a 0-3 deficit by sweeping the final four matches of the dual, including three matches that went to the third set to snatch an important MEC win.
 
"In all honesty, I don't think I have ever seen a match like this one in my 25 years as head coach," said Senator coach Mark Walters. "We could barely see how we could pull this one out after the first 2 hours, but the guys just kept grinding and changing their tactics to worm their way back in to it. And the match at #4 with Vini was the stuff of legend. I'm as amazed as anyone and very proud of their fight today."
 
After taking the doubles point, Wesleyan brought their lead to 3-0 by winning at #2 and #3 singles in straight sets. The Bobcats also took the first sets at #1 and #6 singles and held the momentum deep into the second hour of the singles before the Senators mounted their unlikely comeback. Santiago Ordonez grinded out a 6-3, 7-6 win at #5 to get D&E on the board. Viktor Yanev then followed suit with a workmanlike 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision at the top spot, inching the Senators back closer.
 
"Viktor played like a true #1 player today, and really put himself out there to help get us going," said Walters. "Santiago was relentless in his game and overcame a great senior competitor to give us some more momentum, which was impressive since he struggled a bit in his match yesterday against Salem. He Bounced back great."
 
While D&E's Anthony Martins was fighting through cramps with WVWC's Jonathan Lindstrand to even his #6 match at one set apiece. Vinicius Azeredo and the Bobcats' Kevin Lin were locked in an epic battle on court #4 that saw all three sets go to tiebreakers.
 
Azeredo took the first set breaker by a 7-4 score, and Lin countered with a 7-1 win in set two. That set the stage for the third set tiebreak, in which Lin got off to a 6-0 lead and held 6 match points to clinch it for the Bobcats. Somehow Azeredo rallied to take the next six points to keep the Senators alive, and then held off one more match point at 6-7 before taking the final three points and the match in a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (7) thriller. Fittingly enough, the win also came on Azeredo's 21^st birthday.
 
Azeredo's heroics set the stage for Martins, who fought his way out to a 5-2 lead in the final set before Wesleyan's Lindstrand saved three match points of his own to draw to 5-3. But Martins steadied himself, and finally finished off the match and Bobcats with a clean forehand winner. The sophomore from France traded punches in the day's longest match, which lasted more than 3 hours in the heat.
 
D&E improves to 6-6 on the spring, while the Bobcats, who are currently ranked 4^th in the NCAA Regional rankings, fall to 7-7 overall.
 
The win boosts D&E's conference record to 3-2, and the win gives them new life in search of earning an Mountain East Conference Tournament bid. The Senators face Fairmont State on the road Friday evening in their final conference tilt. A win at Fairmont, or a loss by Wesleyan in their final match, would put D&E in the tournament field.
 
Davis & Elkins 4, WV Wesleyan 3
Doubles
1 Salvi/Lin (WVWC) def. Umeda/Martins (D&E) 6-2
2 Mallya/Karasawa (WVWC) def. Yanev/Ordonez (D&E) 6-3
3 Azeredo/Buffo (D&E) def. Lindstrand/McIntosh (WVWC) 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
 
Singles
1. Yanev (D&E) def. Karasawa (WVWC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Mallya (WVWC) def. Umeda (D&E) 6-2, 6-4
3. Salvi (WVWC) def. Buffo (D&E) 6-4, 6-2
4. Azeredo (D&E) def. Lin (WVWC) 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (7)
5. Ordonez (D&E) def. McIntosh (WVWC) 6-3, 7-6 (1)
6. Martins (D&E) def. Lindstrand (WVWC) 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3

Order of Finish: 3,2,1,5,4,6

D&E (6-6, 3-2 MEC)
WVWC (7-7, 2-3 MEC)