Elon 6, The Citadel 1
Charleston, S.C. ? Elon’s 44th-ranked men’s tennis team jumped out to a 5-0 lead on The Citadel and held on for the 6-1 victory at the Earle Tennis Center in Charleston Wednesday afternoon. The lone point for The Citadel came as junior Daniel Dossetor topped the reigning Southern Conference Athlete of the Month, Damon Gooch.
The loss drops The Citadel to a 2-12 record with an 0-3 mark in the Southern Conference as the Bulldogs have now lost nine straight, the second-longest losing streak in head coach Toby Simpson’s era. Elon is now 3-1 all-time against The Citadel.
The Phoenix (14-2, 5-0 SoCon) earned the doubles point by sweeping the three matches to start the day. Kevin Colin and Austin Fenn strolled by The Citadel’s Martin King and Frederic Petrilli, 8-1, at No. 3 doubles. Elon then clenched the doubles point after Gustaf Asplund and Anuwat Dalodom took the 8-2 decision at No. 2 doubles over the Bulldogs’ Alberto Diaz and Derek Jose.
At No. 1 doubles, Damon Gooch and Mason Schermerhorn rallied to post the 8-6 upset win over 52nd-ranked Daniel Dossetor and James Eason, marking The Citadel pair’s third consecutive loss but their first in conference play this season. Dossetor and Eason are currently 19-8 on the season and have yet to find the elusive 20th win.
The Phoenix got on the board first in singles with Schermerhorn notching the 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 3 singles over Diaz. Sebastian Bredberg gave Elon the 3-0 lead after posting a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles, keeping King winless in league play this year.
Elon clinched the match victory at No. 5 singles as Asplund handed Jose his team-leading ninth-consecutive defeat. Elon tacked another point on the board as Austin Fenn recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win over a pesky Petrilli at No. 6 singles.
The Citadel finally got on the board at No. 1 singles as Dossetor recorded the 6-2, 6-3 win over reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week and Player of the Month Damon Gooch at No. 1 singles.
The Bulldogs bid for a second point fell short at No. 2 singles as Eason let a 4-3 lead in the third set slip away as Elon’s Dalodom rallied for the 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Elon returns to action on March 30 as they play at Appalachian State at 2 p.m. The Citadel will hit the courts on Saturday, March 24 with a 10 a.m. match at Charlotte. For complete coverage of Bulldog Tennis, visit the official home of The Citadel Tennis at CitadelSports.com.
Furman 4, Charlotte 2
Greenville, S.C. ? The Furman men’s tennis team outlasted the Charlotte 49ers, 4-2, in a match that lasted over five hours at Mickel Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon. After dropping the doubles point in a tiebreaker, Furman (8-9) battled back to win four singles matches and earn the win.
The loss snapped Charlotte’s (13-7) four-match winning streak.
“This was another match where everyone played as hard as they possibly could,” said Furman head coach Paul Scarpa. “It was an absolute fight down to the wire, but we didn’t let up and kept the pressure on. Coach Alan
(Ferguson) did a great job coaching Daniel (Knause) through a tough singles match.”
An injury has disrupted Furman’s doubles lineup as of late, but the Paladins still had a chance to earn the point. Jordan Walters and Chris Gilli put together an 8-4 win over Aljoscha Jelinek and Dorian Host at number three. After Furman dropped a close 8-6 match at number one, Charlotte’s Roy Sichel and Darren Mansell battled out a 9-8 (8-6) victory over Andy Juc and Scott Kahler to take the advantage into singles play.
The 49ers took a 2-0 lead after a singles win at flight two, but Juc got the Paladins back in the mix with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Sichel at number one. Michal Kociecki knocked off Charlotte’s Brad Clinard, 7-5, 6-2 to even the score. Furman’s Daniel Knause and Walters pulled out three-set victories at flight three and five, respectively, to give the Paladins the win. The final singles match went unfinished due to the length of the match.
Furman will return to Southern Conference action this weekend when it hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday, March 24 at 1:30 p.m.
#58 Furman 4, Charlotte 2
Doubles
1. Ryan Johnson/Felix Bernhoerster (CHAR) def. Ryan Friend/Andy Sobczyk (FUR) 8-6
2. Roy Sichel/Darren Mansell (CHAR) def. Andy Juc/Scott Kahler (FUR) 9-8 (8-6)
3. Jordan Walters/Chris Gilli (FUR) def. Aljoscha Jelinek/Dorian Host (CHAR) 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #68 Andy Juc (FUR) def. Roy Sichel (CHAR) 6-4, 6-0
2. Darren Mansell (CHAR) def. Andy Sobczyk (FUR) 6-4, 6-2
3. Daniel Knause (FUR) def. Ryan Johnson (CHAR) 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
4. Chris Gilli (FUR) vs. Aljoscha Jelinek (CHAR) 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 4-2, unfinished
5. Jordan Walters (FUR) def. Dorian Host (CHAR) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
6. Michal Kociecki (FUR) def. Brad Clinard (CHAR) 7-5, 6-2 Order of Finish: 2, 1, 6, 2, 5