Wofford 5, Samford 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After a gritty performance including five three set matches, the Wofford College men’s tennis team earned an impressive, 5-2 win over the visiting Bulldogs of Samford University.
Junior Parks Thomspon clinched the match for Wofford, giving the Terriers their fourth-straight team point in an striking performance. After dropping a tight first set, Thompson lost only two games in the final two sets to earn a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 win and finalize a Wofford victory.
The Terriers earned their first point of the day coming off a hotly contested doubles point. Wofford first fell at No. 3, where Fares Kilani and Justin Ghavami defeated juniors David Sklar and Thompson, 8-2. Seniors Rob Galloway and Walker Heffron topped Trey Carter and Jake Faundez at No. 1, 8-4. The point came down to a decisive match at No. 2, where sophomores Andrew Graham and Haris Poric won an 8-7 tiebreak for the team’s first point.
Galloway doubled up on Wofford’s early success, taking the team’s second point. The senior defeated Akers in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 at the top spot.
Poric bumped Wofford (9-8, 3-2 SoCon) to a three-point lead with a near-flawless recovery. After dropping his first set, 2-6, the Australian lefty strung together 12-straight games to take the match in three sets, 2-6, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2. Thompson locked up the match after Poric finished.
Freshman Parks Schoen added a team point playing at No. 4, downing Eduardo Lourido Sanchez in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Skalr and Heffron both went three sets, but fell to Samford opponents.
Mercer 7, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Mercer men's tennis team cruised past Chattanooga on Friday afternoon with a 7-0 win at the UTC Tennis Courts.
The sweep is just the second for Mercer of the season. Five of the six Bears won their singles matches in two sets, while Manuel de Luis dropped his first set and rallied to defeat Gino Delavalle (4-66, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6)).
ETSU 7, Appalachian State 0
BRISTOL, Tenn. - The 63rd-ranked ETSU men's tennis team extended its win streak to five matches Friday with a 7-0 victory over non-conference opponent Appalachian State at the Bristol Racquet & Fitness Club in Bristol, Tenn. With the win, the Buccaneers, who have won eight of their last nine matches, improved to 5-0 at home.
ETSU began the day by capturing the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions with the duos of Ismael Merino and Diego Nunez, and Conner Huertas and Sebastian Yllera each earning victories.
With their 8-4 win at No. 3 Doubles, Huertas and Yllera extended their doubles win streak to four matches.
Nunez, Huertas, and Merino then earned singles victories to seal the win for the Buccaneers (9-7).
"We played a solid tennis team today," ETSU head coach Yaser Zaatini said. "Even though App was without their No. 2 player, each of our guys competed well."
David Biosca, Rogerio Ribeiro, and Yllera also earned singles victories, with Ribeiro winning in a third-set tiebreaker at No. 2 Singles.
With his victory at the No. 1 spot, Biosca extended his singles win streak to a team-best five matches. Meanwhile, Merino and Ribeiro extended their own singles win streaks to four matches.
Due to inclement weather, Friday's match, which was originally scheduled to be played at the Dave Mullins Tennis Complex at ETSU, was moved indoors to the Bristol Racquet & Fitness Club.
"I hated that the weather is beautiful all week, and it rains on the weekend during our match time and forces us to play away from campus," Zaatini said.
ETSU, which has posted an 8-1 record since Feb. 14, will look to continue its winnings ways as the Bucs host non-conference opponent Georgia State Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. The Bucs' lone loss in their last nine matches came on the road to No. 5 Georgia.
"I am proud of the effort," Zaatini said. "Now, we've got to get ready for tomorrow's match."