MADISON, Wis. - Austin Papenthien outlasted Lee Johnson (Hales Corners, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 at No. 1 singles to push Edgewood past the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's tennis team 5-4 in its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener Sunday at Quann Park.
WLC (3-7, 0-1 NACC) opened doubles play with an 8-2 victory by Adam Breister (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran) and Jeremy Vanderhyde (Aurora, Colo./Rocky Mountain Lutheran) at No. 3 doubles. Johnson and Zach Birner (Neenah, Wis./Luther Preparatory) fell 8-2 at No. 1 doubles to even the match, and Derek Sallmann (Waukesha, Wis./West) and Ryan Sallmann (Waukesha, Wis./West) suffered a narrow 9-8 (7-5) defeat at No. 2 doubles to send the Eagles (3-13, 1-1 NACC) to a 2-1 lead entering singles play.
Derek Sallmann (7-5, 6-0), Vanderhyde (6-3, 6-4), and Breister (6-0, 6-0) claimed victories at No. 4, 5, and 6 singles, respectively. Ryan Sallmann fell 7-5, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and the match was tied 4-4, with No. 1 singles still playing what became the deciding match. Papenthien's three-set victory secured the win for Edgewood.
Wisconsin Lutheran continues NACC play Thursday when it hosts Lakeland (0-0) at 4 p.m. at the Princeton Club in New Berlin.
