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Falcons Handle Elements, Arcadia, In Latest Conference Tilt
Freshman Adam Sheir won his third number six singles match in his last four outings Saturday against Arcadia.

Grantham, PA — With sustained wins of 30 miles per hour and gusts being recorded at near 60 miles an hour, Saturday’s men’s tennis match with Arcadia University was anything but typical.

Except for the result.

Messiah extended its streak of regular-season conference wins to 19, handing the visiting Knights a 9-0 defeat — the Falcons’ first team blanking of the year.

Messiah (5-6, 2-0) recorded straight-set wins in all singles flights except at number two, cruising to the team win after allowing Arcadia (2-4, 0-2) a total seven games combined in the three doubles results.

“The wind was so hard to acclimate to out there,” said sophomore Jansen Hein, who recorded a 6-3, 6-3 win at number one singles after teaming with senior Sam Shorts for an 8-1 decision at the top doubles slot. “Our young guys managed the pressure and the wind well and the upperclassmen showed their toughness.”

Shorts displayed perhaps the most fortitude of the day, as the 6-7 senior found himself down to Arcadia’s Kevin Langner by a 4-6 score following the first set. Shorts responded with a dominant 6-2 win in the second and a 10-4 superset in the third, however, getting back on the winning side of things after two straight defeats in singles play.

The remainder of the Knights’ lineup provided far less resistance on the afternoon, as junior Luke Ruch (6-3, 6-0 winner at number three singles) and freshman Andrew Wismer (6-4, 6-0 winner at number five) provided the most lopsided scores. Freshman Adam Sheir won his third singles match in his last four appearances at the number six position by a 6-3, 6-1 count. He and Wismer teamed for another dominating 8-1 win at the number three doubles spot.

The match was the second of the season to be played in substantial winds for Messiah, as the team’s 2-7 loss against York College on Mar. 30 was also in less-than-desirable conditions.

Head coach Sheila Bush said that even that day could not compare with the constant gusts that players had to deal with Saturday, however.

“It was incredible,” she said. “Somehow, we fought through it and focused on what we could control. It’s always good to get a conference win, no matter where or how windy it might be.”

Messiah will take a brief respite from league play next, as the team is slated to compete at Susquehanna University Monday. Match time is set for 4 p.m.