Wofford 4, Appalachian State 3
April 14, 2007 - BOONE--Appalachian State entered Saturday’s season finale against 11-7 Wofford with a chance to finish as high as third place in the Southern Conference with a win. At the end of the match, the Mountaineers could only wonder how the opportunity got away from them, as the Appalachian State fell to the Terriers, 4-3, to drop to 5-4 in conference play.
Enough went according to plan for Appalachian State to be in a position to win.
Senior Dimitar Dimitrov, playing in his final home match, continued to steamroll through the Southern Conference with an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3. His twelfth-straight singles win gave the Sofia, Bulgaria native a 7-1 record in league play for the year.
Sophomore transfer Lee Floyd earned a crucial break to send his first set at No. 5 to tiebreakers, where Floyd prevailed. He went on to win the second set in less dramatic fashion to stake a 7-6, 6-1 victory.
And Peter Jacobs continued to play above his freshman status, winning in three sets over Wofford senior Alex Fridzon, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, to improve to 6-3 in league play.
Jacobs’ victory tied the team scores at 3-3, and things were looking good for Appalachian with freshman David Doverspike holding a 4-1 lead in the first set on court No. 6. No stranger to pressure situations, Doverspike had stepped up earlier in the season in an identical scenario against Chattanooga and clinched that match with a come-from-behind three-set win.
However, this time it was the Terriers’ Christopher Williams staging a furious rally, shutting out the ASU rookie for the remainder of the set and winning 6-4. From there, Williams took advantage of the quick turnaround and put Doverspike away 6-2 in the second set to clinch a dramatic win for Wofford.
While Doverspike was disappointed with the loss, the Mountaineers had plenty of chances to clinch the win before his match even began.
Appalachian State lost the doubles point despite an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles, with Dimitrov and Ryan Brookshaw overwhelming Fridzon and Andrew Stubbs to draw first blood on the afternoon. Wofford came back to win the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches, 8-4 each.
At No. 1 singles, the emotional Trent Constance and Wofford’s Andrew Stubbs staged an instant-classic battle, with Constance pulling out a 7-6 win in the first set only to drop the next one 6-3. The two fought to 4-4 in the third set, but in the end it was Stubbs escaping with a 6-4 win in the third set for the match.
With the loss, Appalachian (13-8, 5-4) will now wait on a result from Chattanooga to determine their seed in the Southern Conference Tournament, April 19-22 in Charleston. The Mountaineers are guaranteed a spot no lower than sixth, and could be the fifth-seed if Chattanooga stumbles in its final match. Either result is an improvement on last year, when ASU entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed at 3-6.
Wofford 4, Appalachian State 3
Singles competition
1. Andrew Stubbs (WOF) def. Trent Constance (ASU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
2. George Kernodle (WOF) def. Ryan Brookshaw (ASU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Dimitar Dimitrov (ASU) def. Scott Collins (WOF) 6-1, 6-1
4. Peter Jacobs (ASU) def. Alex Fridzon (WOF) 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
5. Lee Floyd (ASU) def. Richard Cahi (WOF) 7-6, 6-1
6. Christopher Williams (WOF) def. David Doverspike (ASU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Ryan Brookshaw/Dimitar Dimitrov (ASU) def. Alex Fridzon/Andrew Stubbs (WOF) 8-1
2. Richard Cahi/George Kernodle (WOF) def. Trent Constance/Peter Jacobs (ASU) 8-4
3. Scott Collins/Jeff Muthig (WOF) def. Lee Floyd/David Doverspike (ASU) 8-4
Georgia Southern 4, The Citadel 3
STATESBORO, Ga. ? The Georgia Southern men’s tennis team wrapped up the regular season with a
4-3 win over The Citadel Saturday afternoon at the Hanner Fieldhouse Tennis Courts.
The Eagles and Bulldogs split the singles matches at three a piece. Emmanuel Nkoueleue won the No.
3 match 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 over Alberto Diaz. Philip Prins won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5 over Frederic Petrilli. Borja Malet took the No. 6 match 6-0,
6-2 from Trent Graham. Joris De Weerdt fell 6-1,
6-3 to Daniel Dossetor at No. 1, and Greg Bekkers lost the No. 2 match 6-1, 6-2 to James Eason. Matthew Sands dropped the No. 4 match 6-4, 6-1 to Derek Jose.
Georgia Southern won two of three doubles matches to take the point and the overall win. Malet/Prins defeated Jose/Diaz 8-3 at No. 2 and Sands/Neil Shine won 8-2 over Graham/Petrilli at No. 3. De Weerdt/Nkoueleue fell 8-6 at No. 1 to Eason/Dossetor.
The Eagles will begin Southern Conference Tournament action on Thursday, April 19 in Charleston, S.C.
Singles
1. Daniel Dossetor (CIT) def. Joris De Weerdt (GSU) 6-1, 6-3 2. James Eason (CIT) def. Greg Bekkers (GSU) 6-1, 6-2 3. Emmanuel Nkoueleue (GSU) def. Alberto Diaz (CIT) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 4. Derek Jose (CIT) def. Matthew Sands (GSU) 6-4, 6-1 5. Philip Prins (GSU) def. Frederic Petrilli (CIT) 6-2, 6-2 6. Borja Malet (GSU) def. Trent Graham (CIT) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1. James Eason/Daniel Dossetor (CIT) def. Joris De Weerdt/Emmanuel Nkoueleue (GSU) 8-6 2. Borja Malet/Philip Prins (GSU) def. Derek Jose/Alberto Diaz (CIT) 8-3 3. Matthew Sands/Neil Shine (GSU) def. Trent Graham/Frederic Petrilli (CIT) 8-2
Furman 5, Chattanooga 2
Greenville, S.C. ? The Furman men’s tennis team will head into the postseason on a winning note, defeating the Chattanooga Mocs, 5-2, in the regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center. The Paladins improve to 16-10 overall, 7-2 in the Southern Conference. With the loss, Chattanooga falls to 16-5, 5-4 in the league.
The Paladins earned the doubles point with wins at number one and three.
Andy Juc and Scott Kahler picked up their 18th win of the year, defeating Peter Sauska and Michael Hangstefer, 8-4, at flight three doubles. Brian Crook and Bo Ladyman improved to 13-5 on the season with an 8-4 mark over Mark Fynn and Tim Mittiga.
Furman came up big in the bottom portion of its singles lineup, posting wins at position four, five and six. Senior Chris Gilli closed out his career at Mickel Tennis Center with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Mittiga at number four. Gilli has won 10 straight matches and is 8-1 in SoCon singles play.
Daniel Knause is 9-1 in his last 10 matches, defeating Razvan Axente, 6-4, 6-2, at flight five. Rookie Jordan Walters pulled out a three-set victory over Hangstefer at number six. Andy Juc improved to 16-7 on the season with his come-from-behind 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Badr Bouabdellah at the top singles spot.
The Paladins are the third seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament, which begins on Thursday, April 19 in Charleston, S.C. Furman will play its first match against the sixth seed in the competition on Friday, April 20 at 12:30 p.m. The opponent is yet to be determined.
#64 Furman 5, Chattanooga 2
Doubles
1. Brian Crook/Bo Ladyman (FUR) def. Mark Fynn/Tim Mittiga (UTC) 8-4 2. Badr Bouabdellah/Razvan Axente (UTC) def. Chris Gilli/Ryan Friend (FUR)
8-4
3. Andy Juc/Scott Kahler (FUR) def. Peter Sauska/Michael Hangstefer (UTC)
8-4
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. #97 Andy Juc (FUR) def. Badr Bouabdellah (UTC) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 2. Mark Fynn (UTC) def. Bo Ladyman (FUR) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) 3. Peter Sauska (UTC) def. Andy Sobczyk (FUR) 6-2, 6-1 4. Chris Gilli (FUR) def. Tim Mittiga (UTC) 6-3, 6-3 5. Daniel Knause (FUR) def. Razvan Axente (UTC) 6-4, 6-2 6. Jordan Walters (FUR) def. Michael Hangstefer (UTC) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 6, 1, 2
Elon 7, Liberty 0
ELON, N.C. ? Elon swept its way through all three doubles matches and all six singles bouts as the No. 43 Phoenix cruised to a 7-0 Senior Day men’s tennis triumph over Liberty Saturday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
“I am so proud of what this team has accomplished this season,” Elon coach Michael Leonard said. “I am also very proud of our seniors (Sebastian Bredberg, Anuwat Dalodom, Austin Fenn, Alex Garrett and Kyle Smialek) and the leadership of our captains (Bredberg and Fenn). They have been truly instrumental in leading our program to the level it’s at now.”
The Phoenix (20-2) became only the sixth Elon men’s tennis team to ever claim 20 victories and the first in 11 seasons. The Phoenix finished 22-3 in 1990, 21-4 in 1937, 21-6 in 1996, 20-3 in 1988 and 20-4 in 1994. The 2006 Phoenix narrowly missed that plateau, going 19-5 following a 5-17 campaign in 2005. Elon’s current 11-match winning streak marks the program’s longest streak since the 1993 squad won 17 matches in a row.
Damon Gooch dispatched Jarda Trojan 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, Dalodom upended Chad Simpson 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2, Mason Schermerhorn foiled Sebastian Pena 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3, Bredberg beat Juan Reyes 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4, Fenn ousted Franco Valdez 6-2, 5-7, 10-2 at No. 5 and Kevin Beard dropped Luis Olivera 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6.
In the doubles, Gooch and Schermerhorn topped Trojan and Fabricio Picanco 8-6 at No. 1, Bredberg and Kevin Colin overcame Simpson and Pena 9-7 at No. 2 and Fenn and Kyle Smialek stopped Reyes and Olivera 8-2 at No. 3.
Gustaf Asplund (17-3), Beard (5-2), Bredberg (15-4), Colin (2-0), Dalodom (15-3), Fenn (16-4), Garrett (2-0), Gooch (16-4), Clark Howell (1-0), Schermerhorn (17-3) and Smialek (1-0) have amassed a 107-23 (.823) singles record this spring.
Elon is scheduled to host Lees-McRae at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Flames (4-15) will now head to Radford, Va. next week for the Big South Conference Championship, beginning Thursday.