Wednesday, March 21, 2007

 

ESPINOSA PACES TUSCULUM TO 6-3 WIN OVER EAGLES

 

                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Sergio Espinosa rallied from a set down and triple-match point at No. 1 singles as the 39th-ranked Tusculum College men’s tennis team defeated Carson-Newman College 6-3 Wednesday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex in South Atlantic Conference action.

 

                Tusculum (7-2, 1-0 SAC) is victorious in its league opener, while the Eagles (6-4, 1-2 SAC) have their three-match winning streak snapped.

 

                Espinosa and C-N’s Michael Swanson battled in a three-set, three-hour marathon in one of the best singles matches in the history of the Nichols Complex.  Swanson captured the first set 6-2, jumped out to a 5-4 lead in the second and led 40-love in the 10th game.  Espinosa battled to tie the set before winning 7-6 in a tiebreaker.  Espinosa carried that momentum to win the deciding set 6-3 to win the match.

 

                The overall match was a close contest throughout as the Pioneers won two of the three doubles matches, including a key 9-8 pro set win at the third flight by Julien Jacob and Nicolas Bigler.  Espinosa and Carlos Garcia won their No. 1 doubles match against Matt Stanley and Giuseppe Schwartz, 8-1.  Carson-Newman captured a point at No. 2 doubles when Swanson and Jack Harvie outlasted the TC duo of Henrique Rodrigues and Leo Guaycurus 8-6.

 

                Tusculum led 2-1, but Carson-Newman tied the match with Stanley’s 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles against Rodrigues.  C-N jumped ahead 3-2 when Schwartz rallied from a set down to defeat Bigler 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 2 flight.  Espinosa’s key singles win tied the match at 3-3, which sparked singles victories by Garcia, Guaycurus and Hunter Beal to close out the contest.

 

                Tusculum returns to action this Saturday when they travel to Catawba College for a 2 p.m. SAC battle in Salisbury, N.C.  Carson-Newman will host Brevard College next Tuesday in Jefferson City, Tenn.

 

- TC -

 

No. 39 Tusculum 6, Carson-Newman 3

 

Singles

 

1 – Sergio Espinosa (TC) def. Michael Swanson

2-6, 7-6, 6-3

2 – Giuseppe Schwartz (CN) def. Nicolas Bigler

3-6, 6-3, 6-3

3 – Matt Stanley (CN) def. Henrique Rodrigues

6-4, 6-1

4 – Carlos Garcia (TC) def. Preston Sneed

6-2, 6-0

5 – Leo Guaycurus (TC) def. Jack Harvie

6-1, 6-2

6 – Hunter Beal (TC) def. John Borthick

6-0, 6-2

Doubles

 

1 – Espinosa/Garcia (TC) def. Stanley/Schwartz

8-1

2 – Harvie/Swanson (CN) def. Rodrigues/Guaycurus

8-6

3 – Julien Jacob/Bigler (TC) def. Borthick/Sneed

9-8