URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – ITA No. 19 Finn Reynolds and Lukas Engelhardt suffered a first-round defeat to No. 2 Matej Vocel and Robert Cash in the NCAA Doubles Championships on Tuesday night. The Rebels fell to the Buckeyes in a third-set 10-point tiebreak 10-8.
Engelhardt and Reynolds (ranked as-high-as No. 2 in the nation this season) went toe-to-toe with the No. 2 seed in the doubles draw, Ohio State’s Vocel and Cash. The Rebels were able to take the first set; however, unlike regular season play, the capstone tournament of the season includes a best of three set format.
Both teams remained level through the first six games of the match, 3-3. Reynolds and Engelhardt then held serve to take a 4-3 lead and earned a crucial break to go ahead 5-3. The Buckeye duo answered, breaking the Rebels to narrow the margin to 5-4, Ole Miss. Engelhardt and Reynolds then broke the Buckeyes again, this time to take the opening set, 6-4.
The Rebels turned on the jets to begin the second set, earning a 4-1 lead. Both teams held, setting up the Ole Miss duo for victory ahead 5-2 needing one more game. Cash and Vocel countered, winning three in a row to tie the match 5-5. The two teams split the next two games to force a tiebreak, 6-6. Ohio State took the highly-contested tiebreak 7-5, forcing a third set.
A 10-point tiebreak was played in lieu of a third set. The Rebels got ahead early, earning a 4-2 lead at the first changeover. The Buckeye’s took the lead, but the Rebels stayed in it, trailing 8-7. Cash and Vocel then proceeded to win two points, take the tiebreak 10-8 and win the match, advancing to the next round. Engelhardt and Reynolds’ season came to an end at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.
Reynolds and Engelhardt end the season with a 16-13 overall doubles record (12-11 in duals). Reynolds’ Ole Miss career comes to a close as well, and Engelhardt’s season concludes with two remaining years of collegiate eligibility. Reynolds finishes his fifth season at Ole Miss a three-time All-American (twice doubles, once singles) with 102 total victories (51 singles, 51 doubles).
All Individual Tournament Results can be accessed via the Tournament Hub at:
https://fightingillini.com/sports/2022/1/2/2022-ncaa-tennis-championships.aspx
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