FARMVILLE, Va. – Needing a bounce back win after Sunday's home loss, the Longwood men's tennis team answered the bell with a 4-3 comeback victory over Commonwealth rival James Madison Saturday from Lancer Courts.

Not only did Longwood (8-7) get back above the .500 mark, they exorcised previous demons in the all-time matchup with James Madison (13-4) snapping a six-match skid against their Commonwealth rival that dated back to the 2009 season.

"Before the match, we wanted to change how things went versus Winthrop. We worked during the work on patience during important points," said first-year head coach Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez. "I'm extremely proud of the guys that came back from losing their first sets. Four of the first five courts were down a set and we were able to come back and beat a good team. James Madison is a team that has been great this season."

Finding themselves down 1-0 after doubles play, sophomore ace and recently-named Big South Player of the Week Amadeo Blasco jumpstarted a 4-2 Lancer charge with his school record 25th win of the season and eighth straight. His two-set 6-3, 6-3 victory at the top slot knotted the match at 1-1 as the Lancers went on to win four of the first five singles decisions.

The Dukes answered Blasco's tally with a 6-1, 6-3 win at court No. 2 as Alvaro Arce took down two-time Big South Freshman of the Week Valentin Popescu. The two-set loss was just the second for Popescu at court No. 2 this spring as he holds a 5-2 record in that spot.

It was the Lancers who pulled through on courts three, four and five as three gut-check victories by Raisei Sakai, Julian Farthing and Jorge Godoy sealed the Lancer win 4-2 before Gonzalo Adis took court No. 6 for the 4-3 final.

All three Lancer victories came in comeback fashion after dropping the first set on each court.

Godoy, who secured his seventh win of the spring Saturday, responded to Arce's win at court No.2 with his 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 charge at court No. 5 to bring the match back even at 2-2 before Sakai and Farthing closed it.

Saturday's three-set comeback secured Godoy's 14th win this season, already two more than his previous high with six regular season matches to play.

Playing in his second match at No. 3 in as many weeks, Sakai overcame a 6-7 first set with dominant 6-1, 6-3 second and third sets, giving the Lancers their first lead at 3-2. Just like Godoy, Sakai collected his seventh win of the spring and 13th overall.

A native of London, England, Farthing collected his 18th win of the season and 12th of the spring thanks to a 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 three-set comeback over Pierre Kohler at the fourth slot. Saturday's triumph pushed him closer to the 20-win mark as he carries an 18-8 record into Sunday's pivotal conference showdown. Farthing also moved into a tie for 3rd on the all-time wins list with his 53rd career victory.

"Congratulations to Julian [Farthing] for winning today's match. He's really evolving as a player," Medina Alvarez said.

Freshman Daniel Hernandez battled at the sixth spot, but Adis used momentum from a 7-6 first set to close out the match 6-4, bringing the final tally to 4-3 in favor of the home Lancers.

In doubles play, the duo of Blasco/Sakai took a 6-4 decision at the top of the rotation, but turned out to be the lone Lancer doubles victory of the day. Blasco moved into 3rd with his 38th career doubles win behind fellow Lancer Farthing and all-time great Nobu Tanaka.

"We had our chances," Medina Alvarez said. "We made some changes to the lineup but the guys need to believe they can pull out these doubles matches. We're always coming down to the last doubles match."

Longwood returns to action Sunday as they look to close their March-long homestand with a 6-1 record.  Standing in their way is conference rival Radford, who the Lancers defeated 4-3 last season for their record-breaking 14th win.

"I'm excited for my guys to go out tomorrow and play against Radford with the confidence this win has given them," Medina Alvarez said. "We can win, but the Longwood way is about fighting and working hard. We'll go out there tomorrow and do our job. I'm proud of the guys and congratulations to them."

Match time between the Lancers and Highlanders is set for 1 p.m. from Lancer Courts.

Longwood 4, James Madison 3
March 24, 2018 | Farmville, Va. | Lancer Courts

Singles:
1. Blasco (LWU) def. Mendoza (JMU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Arce (JMU) def. Popescu (LWU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Sakai (LWU) def. Roberts (JMU) 6-7, 6-1, 6-3
4. Farthing (LWU) def. Kohler (JMU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-2
5. Godoy (LWU) def. Lanthiez (JMU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Adis (JMU) def. Hernandez (LWU) 7-6, 6-4

Doubles:
1. Blasco/Sakai (LWU) def. Lanthiez/Mendoza (JMU) 6-4
2. Arce/Kohler (JMU) def. Farthing/Lachlan Manser (LWU) 7-5
3. Adis/Roberts (JMU) def. Godoy/Popescu (LWU) 6-2

Match Notes:
Longwood: 8-7
James Madison: 13-4

Order of Finish:
Doubles – 3, 1, 2
Singles – 1, 2, 5, 3, 4, 6

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