Sunday, April 6, 2008

 

TUSCULUM MEN’S TENNIS RALLIES TO 10TH STRAIGHT WIN, PIONEERS BEAT NEWBERRY 6-3

 

NEWBERRY, S.C. --- The No. 35 Tusculum men’s tennis team rallied from a 2-1 deficit, claiming five singles points as the Pioneers won their 10th straight match to defeat host Newberry 6-3 in South Atlantic Conference action at the Cannon Tennis Courts.  Tusculum (15-1, 5-0 SAC) remains undefeated in conference play, while the Indians (5-5, 2-1 SAC) saw their three-match winning streak halted.

 

Tusculum fought hard to secure the first doubles point of the day, as Sergio Espinosa and Carlos Garcia edged Daryl Van Vuuren and Jeremy Smith, 8-6.  But the Indians won the remaining two doubles points as Maxim Sukharev and Lucas Mattos scored a 8-3 victory over Leo Guaycurus and Henrique Rodrigues, while Felipe Sobrinho and Mikael Jurkovic gave Newberry a 2-1 lead with a 9-7 win over Hunter Beal and Nicolas Bigler.  The loss by Beal and Bigler were their first doubles set-back of the season, ending a string of 14 straight victories.

 

Tusculum responded by taking the first three singles points. Espinosa breezed past Sukharev, 6-2, 6-2, and Bigler followed with a hard-earned 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) win over Van Vuuren. Garcia stretched Tusculum's lead to 4-2 by advancing past Smith, 6-1, 4-0 (ret.).

 

Newberry's Mattos would close the gap by taking his No. 4 singles match, 7-5, 6-2 over Rodrigues.

 

Guaycurus answered with by defeating Sobrinho at the fifth flight, 6-4, 6-3, while Beal took a three-set thriller from Jurkovic, 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 10-3.

 

With the win, Tusculum takes over sole possession of first place in the league.  TC returns to action on Friday when they host Catawba for an important league tilt at the Nichols Tennis Complex beginning at 1:30 p.m.

 

- TC -

 

No. 35 Tusculum 6, Newberry 3

 

Singles

 

1 - Sergio Espinosa (TC) def. Maxim Sukharev

6-2, 6-2

2 - Nicolas Bigler (TC) def. Daryl Van Vuuren

6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3)

3 - Carlos Garcia (TC) def. Jeremy Smith

6-1, 4-0, retired

4 - Lucas Mattos (NEWM) def. Henrique Rodrigues

7-5, 6-2

5 - Leo Guaycurus (TC) def. Felipe Sobrinho

6-3, 6-4

6 - Hunter Beal (TC) def. Mikael Jurkovic

6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-3

Doubles

 

1 - Espinosa/Garcia (TC) def. Smith/Van Vuuren

8-6

2 - Mattos/Sukharev (NEWM) def. Rodrigues/Guaycurus

8-3

3 - Jurkovic/Sobrinho (NEWM) def. Bigler/Beal

9-7