Hatters Top Bulldogs in Men's Tennis Action
April 02, 2007 | Men's Tennis
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb men's tennis team fell to .500 in Atlantic Sun conference play on Monday afternoon, as they fell to the Stetson Hatters 5-2 at the Webb Tennis Complex.
The loss drops the 'Dogs to 9-12 overall and 4-4 in A-Sun play, while the Hatters improved to 16-6 and 6-2 in league play with the win.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as they defeated the visiting Hatters' in two of the three doubles bouts to win the doubles point. Once again it would be the senior and freshman combinations that would score the victories for the 'Dogs as Gabe Veiga and Evgeny Slesarev won at the No. 1 position 8-5, dropping Stetson's team of Marcus Echtler and Filip Kricka, while the tandem of Roberto Vasques and Grant Van Rensburg defeated Danai Stamp and Peter Dzuba of Stetson 8-4 at the No. 3 slot.
Yet the 'Dogs could not capitalize on the early 1-0 lead as they fell in five of the six singles contests.
Stetson took a 3-1 lead, after Ellis fell at the No. 3 slot to Kricka of Stetson 6-2, 6-1, Rafael Altmeyer lost at No. 5 to Joey Jones of the Hatters 6-0, 6-3, and Vasques was dropped 6-2, 6-4, by Echtler of Stetson at the No. 2 position.
Junior Taylor Ferrier tried to breath new life into the Bulldogs, as he bounced back from a first set loss 2-6, to win the second set 7-5 and the third set 6-2, to ultimately defeat the Hatters' Stamp at the No. 6 position and cut the Hatters' lead to 3-2.
However, Stetson would not relinquish the lead, as they took the next two matches from the Bulldogs, needing all three sets in each match to do so. Freshmen Slesarev and Van Rensburg battled until the very end at the No.1 and No. 4 positions, respectively, but it just wasn't enough as Slesarev fell to Hicham Laalej 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Van Rensburg lost at the No. 4 to Serguei Boulanov 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.
The Bulldogs do not have long to rest, as they will be back in action on Wednesday, April 4, when they will travel to Greenville, N.C. to face off with the Pirates of East Carolina. The match is slated for 2 p.m.
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Stetson 5, Gardner-Webb 2
Doubles
1. Slesarev/ Veiga (GWU) def. Echtler/ Kricka (STET) - 8-5
2. Jones/ Boulanov (STET) def. Ellis/ Ferrier (GWU) - 8-3
3. Van Rensburg/ Vasques (GWU) def. Stamp/ Dzuba (STET) - 8-4
Singles
1. Hicham Laalej (STET) def. Evgeny Slesarev (GWU) - 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Marcus Echtler (STET) def. Roberto Vasques (GWU) - 6-2, 6-4
3. Filip Kricka (STET) def. Kim Ellis (GWU) - 6-2, 6-1
4. Serguei Boulanov (STET) def. Grant Van Rensburg (GWU) - 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4
5. Joey Jones (STET) def. Rafael Altmeyer (GWU) - 6-0, 6-3
6. Taylor Ferrier (GWU) def. Danai Stamp (STET) - 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
