The TCU men’s tennis team earned its second win against a Mountain West Conference opponent this spring, taking down Air Force (9-8, 0-2 MWC) on the road by the score of 5-2 Thursday at Cadet Gym. The match started outside at the Academy, but the singles portion of the afternoon was moved indoors due to high winds.

“We had to play under some very tough conditions today,” TCU head coach David Roditi said. “We had to endure wind gusts from 25-40 miles per hour during the doubles on top of playing in 7,000 feet of altitude. The great thing about playing conditions like this is that it gave us a good idea of what the conditions could be like for the conference tournament in Fort Collins.

“I’m very proud of the way our seniors led the way today. Considering the weather conditions today, I saw some of their best performances. Even Air Force’s players had a hard time playing today and they are here every day.”

The Horned Frogs (7-11, 2-0 MWC) got back to their winning ways during the doubles action, taking the first two matches to start the day with an early 1-0 lead. The No. 34 pairing of seniors Emanuel Brighiu and Christopher Price teamed up for a convincing 8-4 win from the top spot, while TCU’s duo of Cameron Nash and Paul Chappell clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 victory from the No. 3 court.

After the teams moved indoors for singles, Price gave TCU a 2-0 advantage in the team scoring, dismantling the Falcons’ Andy Jackson at the No. 3 position in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Brighiu, listed as the No. 78 singles player in the country, put the Frogs up 3-0 after toppling Lance Wilhelm, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Senior Zach Nichols followed with the third-straight win for the Purple and White, clinching the team win by taking down Lucas Marin-Salcedo with ease, 6-2, 7-5.

Chappell ended the evening with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Ali Rizvi from the No. 6 court.

TCU will remain on the road this weekend, traveling to Utah to challenge a pair of MWC foes in BYU and Utah. The Frogs will return to the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center to host New Mexico on April 8.

Singles

1. #78 Emanuel Brighiu (TCU) def. Lance Wilhelm (AF) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)

2. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Lucas Marin-Salcedo (AF) 6-2, 7-5

3. Christopher Price (TCU) def. Andy Jackson (AF) 6-1, 6-2

4. Taylor Soster (AF) def. Soren Goritzka (TCU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

5. Alex Grubbs (AF) def. Daniel Sanchez (TCU) 6-2, 6-4

6. Paul Chappell (TCU) def. Ali Rizvi (AF) 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Doubles

1. #34 Emanuel Brighiu/Christopher Price (TCU) def. Taylor Soster/Lucas Marin-Salcedo (AF) 8-4

2. Lance Wilhelm/Steven Young (AF) def. Daniel Sanchez/Soren Goritzka (TCU) 8-6

3. Cameron Nash/Paul Chappell (TCU) def. Andy Jackson/Alex Grubbs (AF) 8-6

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2

TCU at BYU

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Provo, Utah

Check DailySkiff.com for final match coverage.

TCU at Utah

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Salt Lake City, Utah

Check Dailyskiff.com for final match coverage.