LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- Ethan Gibson rallied from a one-set deficit for a three-set win and clinched a 5-4 victory for the Covenant men's tennis team over Piedmont in a USA South Tournament first round match on Friday at the Covenant Tennis Complex.
Covenant (13-5) advances to the championship match and will face the winner of Averett-N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday, May 1.
In the third battle between Covenant and Piedmont this season, it was the Scots coming out on top for a third time.
With the match tied at 4-4, Gibson and Piedmont's Chris Bale dueled at No. 3 singles. Gibson dropped the first set 6-0 but rallied for a 7-5 set two victory to even the score. In the third set, Gibson took the first three points and led 4-2. Trailing in the next point, Gibson again rallied to gain a 5-2 lead in the set and then finished it off in the next point for a 6-2 set three win.
Gibson's win capped a back-and-forth contest.
Covenant grabbed a 2-1 lead in doubles as Gibson and Gill Dunn were 8-3 winners at No. 2 over Chase Morris and Houston Medlock after Austin Dreslinski and Chris Morton won 8-3 over Bale and Patrick Dempsey at No. 3.
Piedmont avoided the doubles sweep as the Lions' No. 1 duo of Silas Sandles and Roman Webb outlasted the Scots' Ben Luke and Paxton Haggerty, 8-7(4).
In singles play, Piedmont took the first two completed matches to grab a 3-2 lead.
Dreslinski answered with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2 over Bryce VanOrder, and Luke followed that up with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Medlock at the top flight to give the lead back to the Scots at 4-3.
At No. 6, Dempsey outlasted Gill Dunn in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to set up the final match between Gibson and Bale to decide the outcome.
If N.C. Wesleyan wins on Saturday, the No. 1 West seeded Covenant would travel to Rocky Mount, N.C. for the championship match next week. The Scots would host if Averett upends N.C. Wesleyan.
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