Meridian, MS—The Marion Military Institute Tigers clawed their way to a 5-4 victory against a stout and formidable Meridian Community College squad in men's tennis at the Northeast Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon, using a clutch performance by Chris Lee at No. 4 singles to clinch the win.

The Tigers put only one point on the scoreboard after doubles play.  Danny Boussom and Kai Tougas were the architects of what turned out to be a massive doubles win.  Boussom's size (6'6") and Tougas's quickness paired together nicely as the two took down Meridian's Lachlan Ivulich and Will Swindoll, 8-3.

It was an uphill battle from there, though, but the Tiger "racketeers" were up for the challenge that lay before them.  Would it be possible to scale the heights of victory against such an exceptional and talented opponent?  The short answer was Yes.

Danny Boussom led the Tiger resurgence with a solid 6-3, 6-1 win over Lachlan Ivulich at No. 1 singles.  Kai Tougas followed in his doubles partner's footsteps with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 performance at No. 3 singles.  At the No. 2 singles flight, Isaiah Polk won 6-2, 6-2 over Meridian's Marco Puric in a match that was definitely closer than what the score indicated. 

The match boiled down to one match for the win, and that match was between the mercurial Chris Lee, he of the quick feet and lightning reflexes, and his Meridian opponent at No. 4 singles, Callen Shinall.

Shinall drew first blood by taking the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5).  Lee, down but not out, turned the match around quickly in the second set by producing some of his best tennis of the young scrimmage season.  Fresh off his 6-1 second-set win, Lee and Shinall ventured into super tiebreak territory—first player to ten points wins the game, set, and match not only for himself but for his team.  The two players traded points up until 8-all.  Lee went up 9-8 on a double-digit rally and ended the match in eloquent fashion with a piercing serve to the ad court.

The Tigers will return to the Northeast Tennis Center in Meridian, MS, to participate in the 2017 ITA Southern Regional Championships from Wednesday, September 20, to Saturday, September 23.