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April 16, 2007
MEMPHIS, Tenn. --
In
a rain-shortened weekend at the annual Rhodes College Invitational,
the Millsaps Majors only played two of their five regularly
scheduled matches, downing Hendrix by a 5-1 margin and defeating
regionally ranked Oglethorpe by a 5-2 score to run
their season record to 10-6.
Against the Hendrix College Warriors to open the weekend, Millsaps
jumped out to a 3-0 lead in doubles before Wes Hill defeated
Craig Thomas, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 5 singles to bring the Majors
to match point.
From there, Hendrix's Adam Brown knocked off freshman Alex
Cummings at No. 1 singles by a 6-0, 6-1, score to keep the
Warriors'
hopes alive.
That hope quickly dwindled when Russell Turley, one of two
Millsaps seniors, put the match away with a convincing 6-4,
6-2, win over Will Matthews at No. 2 singles. 
Against Oglethorpe, ranked No. 14 in the Atlantic South regional
polls, the Majors took two of the three doubles points to jump
out to a 2-1 lead, winning at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
Millsaps stretched its lead to 3-1 when Emory University
transfer Murphey Parker downed John Esterline at No. 3 singles
by a score
of 6-3, 6-2, before Cummings was defeated by Eckhard
Van der Linde, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 1 singles to cut
the gap to 3-2.
Turley [pictured] won
for the third time in as many tries against previous No.
24 Drew Malone to bump the lead to match point, downing
Malone in straight-sets, 6-1, 6-3.
Sophomore Tim Shoptaugh of Baton Rouge, La., closed out the
match for the Majors, dropping Gabe Henderson, 6-1, 6-3, at
No. 4 singles for the 5-2 upset win.
Millsaps
will be back in action on Tuesday, April
24, facing off with cross-town rival Mississippi College
in a rescheduled
match from a previous rainout at 2 p.m. at Parham Bridges Tennis
Center in Jackson.
They will then begin preparations for the SCAC Tournament held April 27-29 in
Waco, Texas, where the Majors are likely to be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.
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