Doubles team's comeback carries Lake Park to win

Tied 2-2 in the middle of a dual meet, the Lake Park boys tennis team rattled off three straight wins, including a comeback victory in No. 1 doubles to beat Glenbard East 5-2 for the Lancers' second DuPage Valley Conference victory of the season.

The Lancers (12-6, 2-4) No. 1 doubles pairing of two-time state qualifier Jack Millikan and Lucas Szulczynski went down 0-3 in the first set against Brandon Nast and Kevin Osburn until the duo came storming back to win the set 7-6.

The pair continued using the momentum they gained in the first set to take the second 6-0 to clinch the winning point for Lake Park.

"We had a slow start today, but we stayed calm and we just knew that we got to get ourselves back into it and do what we gotta do," Millikan said. "We played really well this weekend … we just keep getting better and when we come together we just play well."

In singles the Lancers were without No. 1 player Piotr Lada due to injury, but the No. 2-No. 4 singles stepped up when needed most for the Lancers.

"I was really pleased with them, said Lake Park coach Tim Martin. "They really took care of business with this wind, tough conditions, they played solid. Kept the ball in play but also knew when to be aggressive and when to keep it in play. I'm really pleased, three straight set wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4."

After a quick 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles from Glenbard East's Nathan Delawder, the Lancers' No. 3, Josh Solarz, beat Krystian Nawloka 6-2, 6-2 tying the match at 1-1.

Shaun Lee Pascual and Errol Kaylor bounced back from a second-set loss with a 7-3 tiebreaker against Sam Troyke and Nick Gonella to make the score 2-2, but it was the last point the Rams (10-7, 2-4) would take off Lake Park.

A 7-5, 6-1 No. 2 singles win from Lake Park's Nick Rex over Jack Alesia set up Millikan and Szulcynski for the clincher, and the duo didn't disappoint, picking up its 18th victory of the season.

"I think Lake Park No. 1 doubles did a really terrific job in the second set at building off the momentum of their first-set tiebreaker win," Glenbard East coach Bill Burt said. "We would have liked to put up a stronger fight in that set, but sometimes a doubles team will get on a roll and just do something like that, and I really applaud them for what they did."