GAINESVILLE, Fla. –No. 42 UNC Wilmington swept doubles and won four singles matches in straight sets, including the clincher, to defeat the No. 52 .University of South Alabama men’s tennis team 5-2 Saturday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex.
The Seahawks add to their win streak and improve to 3-0. South Alabama drops to 1-2.
“UNC Wilmington played a great match today,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “They were very aggressive in doubles. We knew it was going to be hard today. We came prepared, but some guys still need to get tougher mentally. We need to win the big points under pressure and that was the difference on some courts today.”
UNCW’s Michael Reilly and Kaue Pereira got on the board at No. 3 with an 8-2 win over sophomore Blake Gregor (Griffith, New South Wales, Australia) and freshman Gerhard Gruindelingh (Gauteng, South Africa). The Seahawks 53rd-ranked combo of Rafael Aita and Sam Williams finished off the doubles point with an 8-4 win over senior Alex Bernard (Soisy Sur Seine, France) and junior Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) at No. 2.
UNC Wilmington then won three straight in singles, making the score 4-0. Senior Cody Hall (Albuquerque, N.M.) fell 6-2, 6-2 to Kosta Blank on the No. 5 court. Pereira defeated Gruindelingh 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 4 position.
Williams secured the match for the Seahawks with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over freshman Juan Troglia (Mendoza, Argentina) at No. 3.
“We played well today, but we need more,” said Brochu. “We have the talent to beat those team and we are close.“
Sophomore Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) claimed the first point for the Jaguars after defeating No. 37 Aita on the No. 1 court. Vaezzedah accounted for USA’s last point of the day with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Pedro Moi at No. 6, making the score 4-2 Seahawks. Bernard fell 7-5, 6-3 to Chris Cooprider at No. 2.
“We competed so well at some positions and won two big matches,” said Brochu. “Daniel played some exceptional tennis. He was so explosive and never gave his opponent a chance to rest. Shayann was very strategic today. He had a good game plan and played his opponent perfectly.”
The Jaguars will face No. 56 St. John’s tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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