WHEATON, Ill. – A stirring come-from-behind effort helped lift Augustana to a crucial 5-4 win at Wheaton on Saturday, April 21 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin action. The Vikings trailed 4-2 with three matches still on the court and won all three to pick up the win over the Thunder and move to 13-9 overall and 4-1 in the CCIW. Wheaton fell to 5-10 and 3-1.
 
The comeback started after three singles matches had been decided and Head Coach Jon Miedema's team was looking down the barrel of a 4-2 deficit. Freshman Caio DeRezende (Sao Paulo, Brazil) started the ball rolling with a 7-6; 6-3 win over Dave Paulson at number two. With the meet hanging in the balance senior Eric Pohl (Fremd HS, Palatine, Ill.) and freshman Peter Alex (Hinsdale South HS, Darien, Ill.) won matches at numbers four and three at about the same time to clinch the match.
 
Pohl defeated John Chang at number four 3-6; 6-4; 6-2 and Alex beat Jeremiah Yi 6-3; 5-7; 6-3 at number three. Those two victories provided the winning margin as Augustana prevailed 5-4.
 
Wheaton took a 2-1 lead after doubles. Alex and freshman Tom Friberg (Lund, Sweden) defeated Andrew Park and Karl Wenzel 9-8 at number two to give the Vikings their lone point. Pohl and fellow senior Samuel Totten (University HS, Normal, Ill.) fell 2-8 to Yi and Paulson at number one. At number three doubles DeRezende and junior Jack Morkin (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) lost 5-8 to Chang and Andrew Bristol.
 
Totten dropped a 2-6; 6-7 decision to Park at number one and Morkin fell 5-7; 4-6 to Karl Wenzel at number five. Augustana got a win at number six when freshman Rodrigo Medeiros (Brazil) beat Alex Waters 6-3; 6-2.
 
The Vikings will not get much of a chance to savor this victory as they face Coe, the eighth ranked team in the Central Region, on Sunday, April 22 at 1:00 p.m. at Bettendorf Middle School.