The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s tennis team dropped a 7-0 match to Southern Conference foe Furman today. The Mocs played hard in both doubles and singles today but couldn’t pull past their conference rival.
Head coach Carlos Garcia commented, “It was a tough match but it was a fun match and it’s a match that our team looks forward to just from the history of our rivalry.”
Furman held off the Mocs in the doubles play as Chattanooga fought hard to try and win the point.
Luke Hoover and Juan Sheppard started if off for Furman with a (8-2) win over junior Luke Saunders and sophomore Derrick Brown at No. 3.
Sophomores Lucas Plesky and Nic Wilson almost came back towards the end of the match but lost (8-5) to Adam Steryous and Cameron Green at No. 2, which secured the doubles victory for Furman. The Mocs continued to fight as Junior John Peacey and SeniorPavels Grigorjevs attempted to come back at No. 1 for Chattanooga, but Matt Browne and Ben Horst held them off to claim a (8-6) win to sweep the doubles for Furman.
As singles play began, Adam Steryous quickly defeated senior Pavels Grigorjevs with a (6-1, 6-2) victory at No. 1. Sophomore Lucas Plesky was also defeated as Matt Browne posted a (6-4, 7-6(4)) win at No. 2 for the Paladins to put them up 3-0 in the match.
Jacob Behal secured the overall victory for Furman as he posted a (6-2, 6-2) win over Junior Gino Delavalle at No. 5. The Mocs continued to battle at No. 6 as John Peacey forced a third set but eventually lost (6-7(2), 6-1, 1-0(5)) to Stefan Rhodes.
Chattanooga also forced three sets at No. 4 and 3 respectfully, but ultimately lost both singles matches as Furman completed the 7-0 sweep in the first conference action of the year for both teams.
“My team played hard today and I know the score doesn’t reflect it,” stated head coach Carlos Garcia. “I know it’s a sweep and the scoreboard looks like Furman dominated us but these boys played hard today for me, for the program and most importantly, they played hard for their teammates. I am real excited about how we’re playing right now.”
Chattanooga drops to 4-11, 0-1 overall this season and Furman improves to 4-14, 1-0 on the year. The Mocs are back in action nextFriday, April 3, as they host Mercer. Match time is 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) on the UTC Tennis Courts. Be sure to check the men’s tennis schedule page on GoMocs.com for a link to live scoring.
Furman 7, Chattanooga 0
Mar 28, 2015 at Chattanooga (UTC Tennis Courts)
Doubles competition
1. Matt Browne/Ben Horst (FUR) def. John Peacey/Pavels Grigorjevs (UTC) 8-6
2. Adam Steryous/Cameron Green (FUR) def. Lucas Plesky/Nic Wilson (UTC) 8-5
3. Luke Hoover/Juan Sheppard (FUR) def. Luke Saunders/Derrick Brown (UTC) 8-2
Singles competition
1. Adam Steryous (FUR) def. Pavels Grigorjevs (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
2. Matt Browne (FUR) def. Lucas Plesky (UTC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Cameron Green (FUR) def. Luke Saunders (UTC) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Ben Horst (FUR) def. Nic Wilson (UTC) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Jacob Behal (FUR) def. Gino Delavalle (UTC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Stefan Rhodes (FUR) def. John Peacey (UTC) 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-5)
Match Notes
Furman 4-14, 2-0 SoCon
Chattanooga 4-11, 1-2 SoCon
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,5,6,4,3)
T-3:25 A-52