NC State 7, Elon 0
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Elon men's tennis team suffered a 7-0 loss at the hands of 48th-ranked North Carolina State (6-2) at Andrews Indoor Tennis Stadium on Friday night. The Phoenix (0-7) continued its challenging schedule and will finally play its first match at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center when it hosts No. 73 USC Upstate on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Elon juniors Chase Helpingstine and Alberto Rojas picked up the lone Phoenix victory in the match, earning an impressive win at number one doubles. The duo defeated Rob Lowe and Frideric Prandecki, 8-6. NC State earned the team point with 8-4 wins at both the number two and three spots.
In singles action, State's Dominic Hodgson pushed the Wolfpack ahead 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-1 win against Eric Turner at number three. Jaime Pulgar, the 93rd-ranked player in the country, defeated Elon's Philip Nemec, 6-4, 6-1, at the top spot. In one of the most competitive matches of the evening, Rojas took set one 6-2 over Dave Thomson at number four. In the second set, Thomson managed to edge Rojas 7-6 (1) to force a third and deciding set. Thomson, ranked No. 106 in the ITA rankings, clinched the match for NC State with a 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory.
At number two, Helpingstine jumped on top with a 6-4 win over Rob Lowe in the first set, before Lowe rebounded to pull out the 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. NC State earned straight-set victories at both five and six to earn the shutout.
The Elon men will play a double-header with the women's tennis team on Sunday afternoon. Both squads will challenge the USC Upstate Spartans beginning at 1:00 p.m. at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
Austin Peay, 4, Chattanooga 3
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team battled in a nearly six-hour dual at Austin Peay Friday, falling to the Governors 4-3 in the final match. The Mocs almost broke through the in the win column, but dropped to 0-5 on the year. Austin Peay moved its record to 2-1.
The Govs grabbed the doubles point with back-to-back wins at No. 3 and No. 2. John Storie and Leonardo Locatelli defeated the Mocs' freshman duo of Jason Tresnan and Stephen Crofford (8-1) at No. 3. APSU's Renen Bezzera and Amar Subasic sealed the doubles point with an 8-2 win at No. 2 over another Moc freshman tandem of Roberto Vieira and William Disterdick.
Sophomore Sam Parfitt and Ryan Pool picked up an 8-6 win in the top doubles match over Sean Bailey and Henrique Norbiato.
Action really picked up in singles play with three of the six matches going to an extra set. Austin Peay jumped out to a 3-0 lead with wins at No. 4 and No. 3 matches. Bezzera defeated Parfitt (6-2, 6-4) at No. 4 while Norbiato downed Smith (6-2, 6-4) at No. 3.
Chattanooga fought its way back into the match with three straight wins. Pool put the Mocs on the board with his three-set defeat of Bailey (6-3, 3-6, 7-5). Vieira made the score 2-3 with another three-set thriller over Locatelli (7-5, 4-6, 6-0). It was Vieira's second straight win in singles action this spring. Locatelli came into the spring season ranked No. 3 in the OVC men's singles top-10.
Tresnan evened the score at 3-3 with his win at No. 5. He downed Subasic 6-3, 6-1, for his first singles win of the spring.
Freshman Williams Disterdick and Storie were the last competitors on the court, locked in a three-set battle for the deciding point at No. 6. Storie cruised in the first set, winning 6-1. Disterdick forced a third set by taking the second frame (7-6) with a 7-2 tiebreaking win. Storie clinched the match for APSU with a 6-3 win in the third set.
Six of the seven Mocs who competed today were freshmen, but the young Chattanooga squad continues to show improvement with each match. UTC's three points represent its highest output of the spring season.
Chattanooga now travels to Paducah, Ky., for a 1:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) match against Murray State. The Mocs are back home on Feb. 27 when they host the College of Charleston at 1:00 p.m.