For the second straight match, the Mocs had a comeback fall short in a 4-3 loss in Southern Conference action. Sunday, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s tennis team fell at Appalachian State, dropping their record to 6-12 overall and 1-7 in SoCon action.
UTC was swept in doubles and fell behind 2-0 after freshman Austin Boaz was blanked (6-0, 6-0) by Jack Maddocks at No. 5. Sophomore Gino Delavalle scored a point at No. 4 when his opponent withdrew.
The Mountaineers extended their lead to 3-1 after Oliver Casey scored a (6-2, 6-4) win over senior Jorge Varon at No. 2. The Mocs closed the gap once more following junior Pavels Grigorjevs (6-3, 6-4) win over Sebastian King at No. 1.
It was the third win in a row in the top spot for Grigorjevs. His is now 5-4 at No. 1 this spring and has 11 singles wins overall.
Chattanooga could not get the equalizing point. Jan Willem Kleynhans closed out the match with a (6-4, 6-4) win over freshman Derrick Brown at No. 6.
The most exciting match of the afternoon was still on the court at No. 3 when action was called. Sophomore Luke Saunders defeated Zach Bost in straight sets, but needed tiebreakers in both frames for the win.
The Mocs welcome Samford on Wednesday, April 9, for Senior Day at the UTC Tennis Courts. This will be the final regular season home match for Varon, Chattanooga’s lone senior. UTC hosts the Southern Conference Tournament at the Champions Club the following week. Links for live scoring for all of the action is available on the men’s tennis schedule page on GoMocs.com.
Appalachian State 4, Chattanooga 3
Apr 06, 2014 at Boone, N.C. (Appalachian Tennis Courts)
Doubles competition
1. Zach Bost/Sebastien King (APP) def. Jorge Varon/Pavels Grigorjevs (UTC) 8-6
2. Oliver Casey/Daniel Hoang (APP) def. Luke Saunders/Gino Delavalle (UTC) 8-3
3. Steve Lake/Jack Maddocks (APP) def. Austin Boaz/Derrick Brown (UTC) 8-4
Singles competition
1. Pavels Grigorjevs (UTC) def. Sebastien King (APP) 6-2, 6-4
2. Oliver Casey (APP) def. Jorge Varon (UTC) 6-2, 6-4
3. Luke Saunders (UTC) def. Zach Bost (APP) 7-6, 7-6
4. Gino Delavalle (UTC) def. Daniel Hoang (APP), by default
5. Jack Maddocks (APP) def. Austin Boaz (UTC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Jan-Willem Kleynhans (APP) def. Derrick Brown (UTC) 6-4, 6-4
Match Notes
Chattanooga 6-12, 1-7 SoCon
Appalachian State 8-11, 5-2 SoCon
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,4,2,1,6,3)