KWU Athletics
Alex Sherer (FR/Rossville, Kan.) struggled in his second set against Tabor's Mikel Alexander in Thursday's KCAC First Round match at Salina Central High School.
The decisive, and match-clinching third set was a different story.
Sherer refocused his efforts and came away with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 win in his match at No. 3 singles helping the third-seeded Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes clinch the match overall by a 4-2 score to advance to Friday's semifinal against Southwestern at Kossover Tennis Complex in Topeka.
Sherer slammed the ball down the center line for the final point and fell to his knees in celebration as his teammates joined him on the court.
It marked the second straight year the Coyotes have advanced to the semifinal round in the KCAC tournament, last year beating Bethany in the first round to advance.
Sherer's was one of three wins in singles for the Coyotes in the match.
Daniel Harkin (FR/Manhattan, Kan.) won in the No. 1 spot 6-2, 6-2 over Noe Hauschildt, and Rodrigo Vera (SR/Lima, Peru) won over Raul Moreano Chan 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 5 spot.
Bryce Ware (FR/Amarillo, Texas) was also on the verge of winning his marathon three-set match at No. 2 against Mateo Garcia. After dropping the first set 6-4, Ware came back to win the second 6-3 and was up 5-2 in the third set, serving for the match, when Sherer wrapped up his match just yards away ending it.
The Coyotes also captured the doubles point winning two of the three matches. Harkin and Sherer beat Garcia and Hauschildt 6-2, and Ware and Garrison Wright (FR/Maize, Kan.) beat Alexander and Jean Paul Fort 7-5 at the No. 2 spot.
Tabor got wins at No. 4 singles as Fort beat Wright 6-2, 6-1; and Ethan Kutz beat Wes Robertson (SO/Edmond, Okla.) at No. 6 6-3, 6-3. The Bluejays also won at No. 3 doubles as Kutz and Moreano Chan beat Braeden Lewis (FR/Edmond, Okla.) and Vera 6-4.
The Coyotes will take a 9-7 record into Friday's match with Southwestern.