Samford 4, UNCG 3
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG's men's tennis team found itself in another nail-biter Saturday against Samford, but the Bulldogs picked up a 4-3 win at the UNCG Tennis Courts with a third-set tiebreaker win at No. 3 singles. The match was the Spartans' fifth straight to end in a 4-3 score.
The match was UNCG's Southern Conference finale this season, and the Spartans finished 6-4 in league play. They are 9-11 overall and will await the rest of the SoCon results around the league over the next week to see where they will be seeded in the upcoming SoCon tournament.
UNCG battled back from a 3-2 deficit to forge the tie and put all the pressure on Court 3. Chanon Varapongsittikul won his first set against Elliot Barnwell 6-0, but Barnwell stormed back with a 6-0 win of his own in the second set to send the contest to a third. There, Barnwell staved off a match point to knot the set at 6 games, sending it to a tiebreaker. Barnwell cruised to the 7-1 win in the tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Bulldogs, who improved to 14-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play.
After the Bulldogs claimed the doubles point, UNCG turned to the top of its singles lineup to get it back into the match. Ahmet Sarioglu rolled to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Carson Kadi at No. 2 for his 21st win of the season, bouncing back from seeing his 10-match winning streak stopped in Thursday's win at Elon.
Senior Orcun Seyrek, playing the final home match of his career, put the finishing touches on his perfect SoCon campaign, stopping Zac Dunkle 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 to wrap up a 10-0 league record in singles play.
Alexander Sajonz tied the match for Samford with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Cameron Smith at No. 5, and Garrison Laduca topped Jimmy Roueche 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to put the Bulldogs back on top.
Freshman Randy Phillips knotted the match at No. 4, taking a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win over Fernando Costa.
In doubles play, Costa and Kadi grabbed an 8-4 win over Roueche and Smith at No. 3, but Seyrek and Sarioglu countered with an 8-4 win over Dunkle and Sajonz at No. 1. Barnwell and Ryan Shidler clinched the crucial point for the Bulldogs with an 8-5 win over Phillips and Varapongsittikul at No. 2.
Appalachian State 5, Chattanooga 2
BOONE, N.C. - Despite several tense moments for the Mountaineers, Appalachian State University men's tennis defeated Southern Conference opponent Chattanooga, 5-2, at ASU Courts on Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers (13-6, 6-2 SoCon) preserve a flawless 6-0 record at home and clinch a first-round bye in the 2012 Southern Conference Tournament, while Chattanooga (13-7, 4-5 SoCon) falls for the third time in its last four matches.
In doubles, senior Philip Kloc and sophomore Sebastien King tore through their No. 1 match by winning the first five games en route to an 8-2 win.
At No. 3, Mountaineers Andrew McKinnon and Steve Karendal trailed 3-4 before rattling off five unanswered games for the 8-4 win to clinch the doubles point. ASU seniors Alain Humblet and Alex Markov followed suit with an 8-4 win in the No. 2 slot to sweep the pairs matches.
Singles play began ominously for the Apps, as King was forced to retire early due to injury, and the Black and Gold's lead in the match evaporated.
Humblet regained the Apps lead with a routine win in the No. 3 match. The Mountaineer broke open a 5-0 lead in the opening set and won four games in a row to close out a 6-2, 6-2 victory, handing the Black and Gold a 2-1 edge.
After winning his first set 6-2, ASU's Matt Saltsgaver fell behind 1-4 in the second. The sophomore collected himself and stayed in the set by winning three straight games, eventually forcing a set tiebreaker. Trailing 3-4 in the extra points, Saltsgaver tacked on four consecutive points for a 6-2, 7-6(7-4) match victory.
Requiring one more win to clinch the match, Appalachian's needs were answered by Karendal in the No. 5 match, who stole five successive games to close the first set and scored a late break to win his second of a 6-2, 6-4 triumph.
In the No. 1 match, ASU's Markov lost the first set by the narrowest of margins and appeared rattled by injury late in his 6-7(5-7), 1-6 loss.
The match concluded with a memorable comeback by Kloc. After dropping five repeated games in a 2-6 opening set, Kloc recovered from a 1-4 deficit in the second to force a seven-point tiebreaker. The Mountaineer held a slim lead throughout the series to take the set, 7-6(7-4), and triggered a 10-point match tiebreaker. Kloc jumped out to an insurmountable 6-1 lead and won the last four points in his lengthy 2-6, 7-6(7-4), (10-3) affair.