SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Friday afternoon the Spartans men's tennis team battled but fell at home to No. 72 North Florida, 5-2, in Atlantic Sun tennis action at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.
The loss snaps Upstate's three-match winning streak, and the Spartans drop to 6-10 on the campaign and 2-2 in A-Sun play. The win improves the Ospreys to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in A-Sun play.
North Florida started the afternoon A-Sun clash by claiming the doubles point in three tightly-contested matches. The Ospreys claimed victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions, but Upstate's Gonzalo Blanco and Edgar Rodriguez were able to forge a thrilling, 8-6, win at the doubles No. 2 position.
Unfortunately for Upstate, Beauregard Treyz and Moritz Buerchner were able to fend off Ramiro Blanco and Matias Di Pasquale, 8-4, at No. 1 doubles, while UNF's Leonardo Nahar and Pedro Davisson were able to claim an 8-4 win over the Spartan tandem of Marco Linconir and Gianluca Paino at the No. 3 flight.
"The doubles point was really important and when you lose that in a match like this against a team like North Florida, you are fighting from behind from the start and that's something you can't really afford to do," said reigning Atlantic Sun men's tennis player of the week Ramiro Blanco.
In singles play, Upstate's Edgar Rodriguez, who suffered a shin injury in doubles play, was forced to retire in his match at the No. 1 position against UNF's Moritz Buerchner. Rodriguez dropped the first set to Buerchner, 6-2 and was trailing 4-1 in the second set when he was forced to retire as a result of his injury.
Upstate was able to claim victories at the No. 2 and No. 5 positions. Ramiro Blanco bested previously undefeated Daniel Sotomarino in a thrilling three-set match, posting a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 2. Meanwhile, in similar fashion to Blanco's thrilling win, Marco Linconir was able to come from behind at No. 5 and post a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 win in another three-set thriller.
UNF claimed a three-set win at No. 3, as Matias Di Pasquale was downed by Hleb Maslau 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, while Pedro Davison posted a 6-0, 6-2 win over Upstate's Gianluca Paino at the No. 6 position. Gonzalo Blanco also dropped a heartbreaking, three-set defeat, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, at the No. 4 position.
"This was a very important match primarily because they defeated ETSU, a match we lost, 4-3" said head coach Oliver Trittenwein. "If we win, we control our own destiny and have the inside track on the A-Sun title. Having said that, I am proud of this team's effort battling through injuries not only today, but throughout the season. They care about each other and they care about Upstate, and that is what is important."
Upstate will return to the courts for another A-Sun clash tomorrow afternoon, as the Spartans will take on Jacksonville in another important conference match. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
University of North Florida vs USC Upstate
Mar 11, 2011 at Spartanburg, S.C.
(USC Upstate Tennis Complex)
#72 University of North Florida 5, USC Upstate 2
Singles competition
1. Moritz Buerchner (UNFM) def. Edgar Rodriguez (UPSTM) 6-2, 4-1, retired
2. Ramiro Blanco (UPSTM) def. Daniel Sotomarino (UNFM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
3. Hleb Maslau (UNFM) def. Matias Di Pasquale (UPSTM) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
4. Beauregard Treyz (UNFM) def. Gonzalo Blanco (UPSTM) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1
5. Marco Linconir (UPSTM) def. Leonardo Nahar (UNFM) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Pedro Davisson (UNFM) def. Gianluca Paino (UPSTM) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Moritz Buerchner/Beauregard Treyz (UNFM) def. Ramiro Blanco/Matias Di Pasquale (UPSTM) 8-4
2. Gonzalo Blanco/Edgar Rodriguez (UPSTM) def. Daniel Sotomarino/Hleb Maslau (UNFM) 8-6
3. Leonardo Nahar/Pedro Davisson (UNFM) def. Marco Linconir/Gianluca Paino (UPSTM) 8-4
Match Notes:
University of North Florida 7-3, 2-0 A-Sun; National ranking #72
USC Upstate 6-10, 2-2 A-Sun
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,6,4,3,5,2)
