BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Despite competing with only five available players, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's tennis team persevered and toughed out a 4-3 win over 21st-ranked Concordia College Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Knights (2-3) could not fill out the third doubles or sixth singles spots, meaning they were playing down a point before the match began.
 
The Knights first won two close doubles matches at the no. 1 and no. 2 positions and then won the first two singles matches to go up 3-1. The Clippers (1-2), ranked 21st in Division II, then won the next two singles matches to set up a winner-take-all singles match.
 
Junior Ivan Solans Diaz was the Knight that played in the decisive singles match at the no. 4 spot. He battled through a tough challenge from Concordia's William Nilsson, who had yet to lose a singles match in the spring entering the day, and prevailed with a 6-4, 6-4 victory to secure the overall win for the Knights.
 
Solans Diaz was one of three Knights to win in both singles and doubles. Freshman Mehdi Dhouib and Andris Gudins teamed up to earn a 7-5 win over a ranked Concordia duo at first doubles and then later won their respective singles matches in straight sets. Dhouib defeated Concordia's Eymeric Chevalier in a 6-2, 7-5 match, while Gudins won back-to-back sets by a score of 6-4.
 
Sophomore Eduardo Cabral partnered with Solans Diaz at no. 2 doubles, and the duo gutted out a tough 7-6 (6) win over Nilsson and Jan Godfrey Seno of Concordia.
 
Sophomore Moric Budinszky only competed in singles at the no. 3 spot for FDU. Facing an opponent ranked 10th individually in the Division II rankings, Budinszky fell in the first set but rallied back with a 6-4 win to force a third set. His Clipper opponent, however, rebounded and only dropped one game to Budinszky in the final set, winning the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
 
Cabral rounded out the Knights' singles lineup at the no. 5 spot, falling in straight sets 2-6, 1-6.
 
The Knights have a week-long break before their next match, when they travel to play St. John's at the USTA National Center in Flushing, N.Y.
 
BOX SCORE
DOUBLES
Mehdi Dhouib/Andris Gudins (FDU) def. #7 Eymeric Chevalier/Michele Fenoaltea (CON), 7-5
Ivan Solans Diaz/Eduardo Cabral (FDU) def. William Nilsson/Jan Godfrey Seno (CON), 7-6 (6)
Lars Olson/Nicolas Sitaras (CON) won by default (FDU no player)
 
SINGLES
Dhouib (FDU) def. Chevalier (CON), 6-2, 7-5
Gudins (FDU) def. Henry Masters (CON), 6-4, 6-4
#10 Fenoaltea (CON) def. Moric Budinszky (FDU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Solans Diaz (FDU) def. Nilsson (CON), 6-4, 6-4
Godfrey Seno (CON) def. Cabral (FDU), 6-2, 6-1
Max Grundmann (CON) won by default (FDU no player)