North Carolina 7, Chattanooga 0
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s tennis team dropped a 7-0 match at No. 6 North Carolina today. The Mocs competed well in doubles for the second consecutive outing, despite being shut out on the scoreboard.
UTC’s top duo of junior John Peacey and sophomore Lucas Plesky pushed the Tar Heels’ Brett Clark and Brayden Schnur before falling 6-4. Sophomores Austin Boaz and Derrick Brown also showed well in a 6-3 loss at No. 3.
Senior Pavels Grigorjevs worked his way back to No. 1, after missing all of fall play with an injury. He took on Schnur who is currently No. 2 in the nation in singles. After dropping the first set 6-1, Grigorjevs made a run in the second before losing (6-1, 6-4).
Chattanooga is 0-2 on the year after today’s loss. The Mocs open their home schedule on Saturday, Jan. 24, when they host Belmont. First serve is 1:00 p.m. at the Hixson Racquet Club. Check the men’s tennis schedule page for a link to live scoring.
Alabama 6, Samford 1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- In its 2015 spring season-opener Monday, the Samford University men’s tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision against the 36th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a non-conference duel held at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility.
With the defeat, Samford (0-1) lost its opportunity to garner a winning streak against in-state rival Alabama (1-0).
Two years ago, in the last meeting held between the teams on Feb. 6, 2013, the Bulldogs defeated the No. 52-ranked Crimson Tide, 4-3. In the historic triumph, Samford ended a 31-match losing streak against Alabama, dating back to May 5, 1961, when the school was named Howard College. Therefore, it was the Bulldogs’ first win over the Crimson Tide in nearly 52 years.
On Monday, Alabama jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the contest by sweeping the doubles competition.
In singles play, the Crimson Tide extended its advantage to 5-0 with straight-set victories on courts No. 4, No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6.
Samford’s Austin Akers proved to be triumphant in the No. 2 singles matchup Monday. Against Alabama’s Stuart Kenyon, the Bulldogs’ senior native of Lexington, Kentucky, trimmed the Tide’s lead to 5-1 as he registered a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Akers concluded the 2014 dual-match season with a 7-10 singles record and will lead the Bulldogs this year as the team’s lone senior.
Tennessee 6, Mercer 1
Mercer 4, Southern Illinois 3
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University men’s tennis team rallied to win its first match of the season, a 4-3 decision against Southern Illinois. The Bears also lost 6-1 to Tennessee earlier in the day.
Mercer started strong by winning the doubles point, but the Bears lost five of their first six singles sets and fell behind 3-1 overall. Arnav Mohanty won his singles match (6-2, 6-3) to spark Mercer’s rally. Arsav Mohanty (1-6, 6-2, 6-4) and Manuel de Luis (0-6, 6-4, 6-4) each lost their first set and then won the final two to give the Bears a 4-3 edge over the Silukis.
“This was a huge gut check win for us today against Southern Illinois,” said Head Coach Eric Hayes. “We had to come back 90 minutes after playing Tennessee and play our second match down two players. Arsav and Arnav Mohanty put us in a position to win and Manuel de Luis closed out the match perfectly. I’m proud of this team for not only the win, but for competing with so much heart.”
Arsav Mohanty also won his singles match against Tennessee, downing Sunay Bhat in two sets (7-5, 7-5).
Sam Philip and Oliver Snaider were both injured in the match against Tennessee and did not play against Southern Illinois.