Furman 7, The Citadel 0
GREENVILE, S.C. ? The Furman men’s tennis team won its sixth consecutive match, fourth straight in shutout fashion, as the Paladins defeated the visiting Citadel Bulldogs, 7-0, on Sunday afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center. Furman (14-7, 5-0) has now won 23 consecutive matches on its home court. The Citadel dropped to 8-8 overall, 1-3 in the Southern Conference.
Furman has earned the team doubles point in all 14 of its victories this year. The Paladins won all three doubles matches against the Bulldogs. Senior duo Andy Juc and Bo Ladyman remained undefeated on the season with an 8-2 win over Yufo Sutantio and Michael Kociekci at the top doubles spot. The Furman tandem is currently ranked 67th in the country and holds an 8-0 record.
Several Paladins extended lengthy winning streaks on Sunday, including sophomore Sawyer Duncan who improved to 17-2 with his 10th consecutive victory. Duncan topped Frank Larkin, 6-2, 6-2, at position six. Senior Daniel Knause won for the ninth straight time, rebounding from a loss in the first set to defeat Alberto Diaz, 3-6, 7-5, 10-6.
Ladyman won his 14th match of the season and eighth straight, scoring a 6-2, 6-3 win over Kociecki at number two. Juniors Chris Motes and Jordan Walters also recorded straight-set victories for the Paladins.
UNC Greensboro 4, Appalachian State 3
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University men’s tennis posted a valiant effort Sunday afternoon as three singles matches went into three sets and the doubles matches came down to the wire, but the Apps were unable to hang on for the win, as they fell to SoCon foe UNCG Sunday afternoon 4-3. With loss the Black and Gold drop to 11-7 on the season and 3-4 in SoCon play, while the Spartans improve to 10-4 overall and remain spotless in league play at 5-0.
The Apps started the match on a solid note as they were able to clinch the ever important doubles point.
The duo of Bobby Lake and Lee Floyd faced stiff competition at the number one doubles spot and were defeated 8-3, but Trent Constance and Peter Jacobs came up big at the number two doubles position, winning an impressive 8-5 over Andrey Bubnov and Yaroslav Litus. The team of Philip Kloc and Britton Webb also came up big for the Mountaineers as they were tied with William John and Taylor Befus at the number three spot in the tiebreaker and reeled off four straight points to win the match 9-8 (7-3 in the tiebreaker) to give Appalachian the early 1-0 advantage.
In singles play, three matches were pushed into three sets but ASU came up just short, as the Apps were only able to notch two wins.
Jacobs fell at the number two spot to Bubnov, losing 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 to tie the match at one apiece. Constance also dropped a tough match to his opponent, losing in three sets as well at the number three position.
In a hotly contested battle, Lake was unable to eek out a win, as he pushed his match into three sets as well, but ended up losing to Orcun Seyrek, falling 4-6, 7-6 (10-8 tiebreaker), 3-6.
Floyd was also unable to hang on for ASU, dropping his match in two straight sets to give UNCG the match clinching win.
Freshman Philip Kloc and Alain Humblet were impressive at the number five and six spots, giving Appalachian its lone wins in singles play, as each handily defeated their opponents in two sets.
Elon 4, Radford 3
ELON, N.C. ? Elon’s Oscar Podlewski outslugged No. 56 Radford’s Ivan Salec 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) at No. 2 singles, lifting the Phoenix to a 4-3 non-league men’s tennis upset of the nationally-ranked Highlanders ? Elon’s 13th victory in 14 matches and Radford’s second setback in 13 contests ? Sunday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
In the process, the Phoenix (14-4) beat a nationally-ranked opponent for the fourth consecutive season and improved to 72-21 (.774) over the last four seasons since struggling through a 5-17 campaign in 2005. Elon has now won 11 consecutive tilts.
The Highlanders (13-3) dropped the doubles point for the second time all year to open the match. Radford’s Salec and Mehdi Benhammou decisioned Chase Helpingstine and Carlin Murray 8-5 at No. 2 doubles for the day’s first victory, but a win by Elon’s Alberto Rojas and Cody Stauffer MacDowell over Igor Ogrizek and Stefan Bojic 8-5 at No. 3 evened the doubles standings.
In a battle of nationally-ranked doubles teams, the No. 48 tandem of Damon Gooch and Philip Nemec outdueled the No. 50 duo of Martin Sayer ? a Davis Cup participant and three-time NCAA tournament qualifier ? and Zack Watson 8-6 at No. 1 to seize the doubles point and an early 1-0 advantage for the Phoenix.
Nemec beat Bojic 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles to extend the Elon edge to 2-0, but No. 120 Sayer staved off No. 66 Gooch 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 to cut the Highlanders’ deficit in half at 2-1. Rojas foiled Ogrizek 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5 to put the Phoenix up 3-1 and set the stage for Podlewski’s heroics.
Radford salvaged the last two singles flights when Watson overcame Stauffer MacDowell 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 at No. 6 and Benhammou outlasted Helpingstine 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-5 at No. 4.