Elon 7, Gardner-Webb 0
ELON, N.C. - The Elon men's tennis team got back on the winning track on Saturday afternoon, recording a 7-0 shutout against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. Elon (2-4) came up big in doubles action, using two 9-7 victories to clinch the team point before sweeping the singles matches.
"The doubles point was big as we were in down in all three matches," said Elon head coach Michael Leonard. "Andrew (Prince), Jordan (Kaufman) and Chris (Geaslen) all stepped up at big moments and really set the tone."
After Gardner-Webb (2-4) took an 8-4 decision at number two doubles, Elon's Prince and Geaslen battled back from a 6-3 deficit to earn a 9-7 victory over Stephen Martin and Joao Poli on court three. At number one, Kaufman and sophomore Cameron Silverman were down 7-6 before winning three straight games to defeat Korhan Ates and Adam Knutsson-Sundblad and clinch the doubles point for the Phoenix.
In singles, Silverman was first off the court with a 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Ates at number one. Prince put Elon ahead, 3-0, and dropped only three games in a 6-3, 6-0 win against Poli at number six. Kaufman provided the match-clinching win when he defeated Roman Piftor, 6-3, 6-1, on court four.
Stefan Fortmann picked up a 6-4, 6-2 win against Knutsson-Sundblad at number two and Juan Madrid used a third-set tiebreaker to earn the 6-1, 1-6, 1-0 (7) victory against Alberch on court three. Carlos Arboleda finished the shutout with a straight-set win over Brendan Dempsey at number five.
Chattanooga 7, North Alabama 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team continued its best start since the 2006 season with a 7-0 sweep of North Alabama on the UTC Tennis Courts today. The Mocs took all nine matches to improve to 6-2 overall while the Lions fall to 0-3.
Chattanooga jumped out to a 1-0 lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Head Coach Carlos Garcia shuffled his lineup, pairing juniors Chris Smith and Ankit Chopra at No. 1 and juniors William Disterdick and Roberto Vieira at No. 2 for the first time this spring.
Vieira and Disterdick went 3-0 in the fall, winning the UTC Steve Baras Gold Draw in October. They improved to 4-0 as a pair with an 8-3 win today. Smith and Chopra clinched the point with their 8-5 victory.
Sophomores Jordan Faith and Orlando Lourenco took the court at No. 3 in their first action of the spring. Tied at 7-7 and the doubles point already decided, they won the tiebreaker 7-2.
Singles play took just under 90 minutes with Smith leading the way at No. 2. He improved to 6-2 in the spring with a (6-2, 6-2) win over Matt Fuery at No. 2. Junior Stephen Crofford only dropped one game in his match at No. 6, getting his first singles win of the year.
Vieira clinched the team win with a (6-3, 6-2) win over Constantin Witten at No. 1. Junior Manuel Barroetavena and freshman Pavels Grigorjevs continued the sweep with straight-set wins at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
The only match that was contested was junior Jackson Tresnan's No. 4 bout against Alexey Kavalenka. Tresnan took the first set 6-3, but quickly fell behind 0-3 in the second frame. He won the next four games to retake control of the match and get back on-serve. Leading 5-4, he blasted an ace up the middle on match point for an exclamation point on his seventh win of the season.
Davidson 4, Campbell 3
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Freshman Nicky Kunz made it a winning homestand for Davidson when he netted a three-set win at No. 3 singles to clinch the Wildcats' 4-3 victory over visiting Campbell on Saturday afternoon at the Covington Tennis Courts in men's tennis action.
The Wildcats (3-3) finished up their four-match homestand 3-1 as they were playing the Fighting Camels (3-2) for the first time since 2000.
Down 3-2 in the match, Kunz and Robert Lightbourn finished the comeback off with three-set wins at No. 3 and 5. Lightbourn came back from a 6-0 first set loss and earned a hard-fought 7-6 second-set victory to force the third set. He then rolled in the final set, 6-1, over Josep Baro to knot the match up at 3-all.
Kunz then sealed the win when he scored a third-set 6-2 triumph in the final set. The first-year player regrouped after falling 7-5 in the first set, and earned himself a 7-5 second-set win to set up the winning third set. After starting his collegiate career 0-2, Kunz has rattled off four straight singles wins to tie for the most wins on the team.
Connor Evins got the 'Cats' second team point when he picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles for his first victory of the year.
The national ranked doubles team of Joe Schafer and Calum Gee helped the Wildcats open the dual match with a 1-0 lead when they picked up their third straight doubles win together on the strength of a 9-7 win at No. 1. The 19th ranked team in the nation is now 4-1, with their lone setback coming at South Carolina.
Evins and Chris Mark took the other doubles match at No. 3 with a well-played 9-8 win. The duo are now 4-0 on the season, getting three of those wins at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Davidson hits the road for a 1 p.m. match against cross-county rival Charlotte, Feb. 23. It's the start of a six-match road swing.
Furman 4, Navy 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Furman men's tennis team posted its first win of the season Saturday afternoon, downing Navy, 4-1, at the Mickel Tennis Center in Greenville, S.C.
The Paladins jumped out to an early lead after winning two out of three doubles matches to clinch the doubles point. Sophomores Alex Christ and Joel Cook teamed up to defeat Anderson Walls and Marcus Rebersak, 8-2, at number two doubles, while the duo of sophomore Nate Collins and senior Watson George notched an 8-6 victory over Blake Daniel and Chris Kenney in the third doubles contest. Navy's Peter McDonald and Calvin Mark defeated junior Andrew Mellow and freshman Jacob Behal, 8-3, in the top doubles match-up.
In singles action, Mellow defeated Rebersak, 6-2, 6-3, in the top spot, while Cook bested Tyler Burnett, 6-1, 6-0, at number four singles. Junior Tyler Droll's sixth-seed 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, victory over Nicholas Gutsche clinched the win for the Paladins.
Daniel put the Midshipmen on the board with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over junior Robbie Aru at number five singles, and the second and third singles matches were unfinished. Christ led McDonald, 5-7, 6-2, 3-1, at number two, while Mark was leading Behal, 6-3, 3-6, 4-3, at number three.
Furman (1-6) will play at Presbyterian Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Appalachian State 5, East Carolina 1
BOONE, N.C. - After a rough start to the season, the Mountaineers are gaining momentum, as Appalachian State University men's tennis pulled off a 5-1 defeat of East Carolina at Deer Valley Racquet Club on Saturday. With their second-straight victory the Apps level off to 2-2 on the year, both wins coming at home, while East Carolina slips to 7-3.
In the battle for the doubles point, Appalachian played a non-traditional lineup, opting to split its regionally-ranked senior pair of Philip Kloc and Alain Humblet among the top two spots. ECU took the early advantage in the doubles portion, breaking twice for an 8-3 win at No. 3.
At No. 1 doubles, Appalachian's duo of Kloc and Sebastien King found themselves evenly matched against their Pirate foes, as the teams held serve through ten games. With the match deadlocked at 5-5, the Mountaineers scored a break for the 6-5 advantage and serve; ASU would win 8-6.
With the doubles point on the line, ASU's No. 2 team of Humblet and Alex Markov broke in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and held serve for eventual 8-6 victory, clinching a 1-0 lead for the Mountaineers.
In singles, Kloc dominated his match at No. 2, breaking in the second game of the match. Leading 4-1, he broke serve again and easily took the first. In the second set, Kloc remained in the driver's seat, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and cruising to the 6-1, 6-1 win.
At No. 3, Humblet looked overpowering after breaking serve in the first game, but his ECU opponent held tough. The senior managed to hold serve and win the set, before picking up two breaks and a 3-0 lead to start the second. Humblet went on to win 6-4, 6-2, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead, one point from clinching the match.
Appalachian's Markov and ECU's Joran Vliegen, ranked No. 105 in the nation, engaged in a fierce duel at No. 1 singles. With Vliegen taking first serve, Markov broke serve in the fourth game to take a 2-1 advantage. In the next game, Vliegen broke back, leveling the match at 2-2. When Markov took another break to go up 4-3, Vliegen responded with a break to tie the set, 4-4. The first set came down to a back-and-forth tiebreaker in which Markov finally triumphed, 7-6 (9-7).
The second set played equally close, as Markov and Vliegen alternated games again. This time, both held serve to load the scoreboard, 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Vliegen fought off two match points to win the tiebreaker and set with four straight points, 7-6 (8-6).
Meanwhile, the other Mountaineers managed less-dramatic outcomes. At No. 4 singles, King picked up a pair of breaks in the first set and broke open the second set. The sophomore kept the pressure on and completed the 6-2, 6-2 win to clinch Appalachian's fourth point and the overall victory.
As the top individuals continued their lengthy match, senior Steve Karendal took the court at No. 5 singles. Though he needed a late break to take the first set, the Mountaineer opened up a 4-0 lead in the second, finishing his Pirate opponent, 7-5, 6-2.
As the last players on the court, Markov and Vliegen kept their swordfight interesting. With the decisive set tied 4-4, the combatants broke service on each of the last four games, knotting the set, 6-6. In the final tiebreaker, Vliegen opened up a 5-1 advantage, and though Markov battled back, ECU finally got on the scoreboard with the 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) win.
Due to time and court space constraints, in addition to ASU having already clinched the match, the No. 6 singles match was not conducted.
The Citadel 7, Spartanburg Methodist 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Citadel tennis team improved its record to 2-2 on the season as it swept Spartanburg Methodist 7-0 on Saturday.
The Bulldogs took an early lead by sweeping the doubles matches to take the point. Pairing up for the second time this season in the No. 1 slot, David Orces and Peter Bleach toppled their Pioneer opponents in quick fashion winning 8-1. In the No. 2 position, Josh Cook and John Armstrong clinched their second victory as a pair, defeating Kendrea Hiers and Matthew Plummer 8-2.
To conclude doubles play, in the No. 3 spot Alex Howle and Elliott Sperr also sealed their second win as a pair downing their Pioneer challengers 8-3. The Bulldogs have impressively swept the doubles point in the last two matches.
In singles action the Bulldogs continued their dominance over the Pioneers. Competing in the No. 1 singles spot for the first time this season, Cook defeated Matheus Barcela 6-2, 6-3. Cook improved his record to 2-2 on the season.
In the No. 2 slot Peter Bleach earned his first singles win on the year by defeating Corey White 6-2, 6-1. In the No. 3 position James Atkinson sealed a 6-1, 6-3 win and has tallied a 2-2 singles record.
In an impressive win, Alex Howle defeated Matthew Plummer in the No. 4 spot 6-0, 6-2. Howle has competed in the No. 4 position two consecutive matches and improved his record to 2-2.
Twice this season, Elliott Sperr has earned a win in the No. 5 position. Sperr rolled past his Pioneer foe winning 6-1, 6-0 and now leads all Bulldogs with a 3-1 singles record. Justin Wycoff, in the No. 6 slot, shut out his opponent capturing a quick two-set win 6-0, 6-0.
Bulldog Head Coach Kemper Baker commented on the team's development over the last two matches.
"I am very happy with our team's performance today. We continue to show noticeable improvement in singles and doubles which can be attributed to the hard work that our players have put in on the practice court."
South Carolina State 6, Georgia Southern 1
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Men's Tennis team was unable to get back on the winning track on Saturday morning. The Eagles were downed at home by the South Carolina State Bulldogs, 6-1.
The Eagles (1-7) fell behind early in the match by losing the doubles point. Marco Osorio and Daniel Rush made it close but fell by an 8-6 score at No. 2 doubles. Andrew Dromsky and Alain Garrido also lost by a two-game margin at No. 1 doubles, 9-7. Kyle Hoffman and Albert Codina Sala lost 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.
The Eagles played tough in singles as well, but their efforts were unsuccessful for the most part. Their lone win was picked up by Osorio in his return to singles action. He prevailed at No. 6 singles by a score of 6-3, 6-1. Dromsky fell in a close affair at No. 4 singles, 6-3, 7-6. Hoffman and Codina Sala each grabbed the first set before splitting sets and falling in the third. Hoffman's loss came at No. 2 singles by a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, while Codina Sala's came at No. 3 singles by a score of 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Garrido and Rush fell at #1 and #5 singles to round out the efforts for the Eagles.
The Eagles hope for better results on Sunday when they conclude their weekend set with a dual against Kennesaw State. First serve is set for noon at Hanner Tennis Complex.