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Scholl, Hurrion and Griffith Earn Big South Accolades
April 16, 2019 | Men's Tennis
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Maximilian Scholl and Millen Hurrion both received First-Team All-Big South Conference Singles and Doubles honors, and Mike Griffith garnered Coach of the Year accolades as the conference announced its annual awards today.
Griffith, who was originally hired in 2002, led the men's squad to its first-ever regular season championship with a 4-2 win over Longwood on Saturday evening. The 'Dogs finished 12-7 overall and went 12-2 in the final 14 matches of the spring season, including a nearly unblemished 7-1 in Big South Conference. This season, the 'Dogs went 33-13 in Big South singles matches (66-45 overall) and 16-3 in Big South doubles matches. Griffith has led the Runnin' Bulldogs to double-digit wins in each of the past six seasons. In Coach of the Year voting, he received five first-place votes and 18 points.
Scholl (Stuttgart, Germany / School Korntal-Munchingen), added to his already impressive collegiate tennis resume by becoming a four-time First-Team All-Big South honoree. He finished his senior season 17-1 overall and has a 17-match win streak entering the Big South tournament. He entered the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings at #124. His only defeat came in the season opener at Wake Forest to then top-ranked Petros Chrysochos. The Stuttgart, Germany native began his winning ways for his final campaign in Boiling Springs with a win at Coastal Carolina on February 1 and was victorious at Troy 24 hours later with a come-from-behind win over Oskar Michalek.
Entering Big South action, Scholl was 6-1 with four of his six wins being two-set victories. He went undefeated in league play with only one decision taking a full three sets. In addition to a stellar spring season, he finished in the Elite 8 at ITA Regionals in the fall with wins over Clemson's Carlos Kelaidis, College of Charleston's Benedikt Henning and the 71st-ranked player in the country at the time, NC State's Julian Ziobinsky.
He finished with 19 points and three first-place votes in Player of the Year voting, just one point off a tie with winner Henry Patten. Scholl also represented the Runnin' Bulldogs on the Big South All-Academic team and will graduate in December with a degree in International Business.
"Everybody knows Max's character is first class," said Griffith. "He went 31-2 in No.1 singles and doubles. The other thing people don't realize is that in four years with him on the team, we finished fourth, second, sixth and first, so he's helped place us among the leaders in the Big South."
Hurrion (Weymouth, England / Budmouth College) followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign in 2018, which also saw him earn First-Team All-Big South Singles and Doubles accolades, with a spot on the First-Team All-Big South Singles roster for the second consecutive season. He finished 14-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big South at No. 2 singles.
The Weymouth, England product began the spring season with a win over the nation's 39th-ranked singles player, Wake Forest's Melios Efstathiou, and won convincingly, 6-4, 6-2. He then won at Coastal Carolina before falling at UNCW.
The loss to UNCW's Daniel Groom did not deter Hurrion. He was ranked as high as 80th in the ITA singles poll and finished the year 14-3. With a 2-1 record through three matches, he began a 10-match winning-streak on February 10, which lasted into Big South play. The streak began with a nearly perfect match at Davidson as he outscored his opponent by a 12-1 score in two sets.
Eight of his 10 matches during the streak were won in straight sets. Highlights of his stellar run included a 6-2, 6-2 win over Winthrop's Connor Williamson and a 6-3, 6-3 victory over UNC Asheville's Oli Nolan.
"Millen showed a level of consistency and followed up a great freshman year with another great season," said Griffith. "I have never been around someone who has improved as much as Millen. He went from a good player to a great player. He's a great teammate. His style is so tough to play against; he's difficult to beat."
In doubles action, Scholl and Hurrion were named First-Team All-Big South for the second straight year. The duo was ranked as high as 26th in the ITA poll and went 14-1 overall with a perfect 6-0 record in league matches.
"Not only did they win 14 straight matches," stated Griffith, "but to win every set the way they did is difficult at this level. Hopefully their winning streak will continue."
The teammates suffered a loss at Wake Forest to start the year, but reeled off 14 consecutive victories. In two non-conference matches against Troy and UNCW, Scholl and Hurrion outscored their opponents, 12-1 in two victories. In Big South play, the pair was dominant, with their closest match being a 7-5 victory at Hampton in the second-to-last contest of the regular season. On five separate occasions, three of which were consecutive, the pair allowed opposing doubles teams to win just one game.
In the fall, Scholl and Hurrion victorious at the Farnsworth Invitational on the campus of Princeton University. At Princeton, they played in a tournament similar to the Davis Cup with each team playing a doubles match and two singles matches against a pairing another school. The winner of two-of-three matches advanced to the next round. Scholl and Hurrion dispatched teams from Drexel, William & Mary and Temple before defeating Princeton on its home court to capture the Farnsworth Invitational Crown.
With a combined 31-4 singles record and 14-1 doubles mark, the sophomore and senior will lead the top-seeded Runnin' Bulldogs into the Big South tournament. #1 Gardner-Webb will begin tournament play on Thursday, April 18 at 9 a.m. with a matchup vs. the winner of the #8 USC Upstate vs. #9 Hampton play-in game. The semifinals will take place on Friday, April 19 with the winner-take-all championship set for Saturday, April 20.
Griffith, who was originally hired in 2002, led the men's squad to its first-ever regular season championship with a 4-2 win over Longwood on Saturday evening. The 'Dogs finished 12-7 overall and went 12-2 in the final 14 matches of the spring season, including a nearly unblemished 7-1 in Big South Conference. This season, the 'Dogs went 33-13 in Big South singles matches (66-45 overall) and 16-3 in Big South doubles matches. Griffith has led the Runnin' Bulldogs to double-digit wins in each of the past six seasons. In Coach of the Year voting, he received five first-place votes and 18 points.
Scholl (Stuttgart, Germany / School Korntal-Munchingen), added to his already impressive collegiate tennis resume by becoming a four-time First-Team All-Big South honoree. He finished his senior season 17-1 overall and has a 17-match win streak entering the Big South tournament. He entered the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings at #124. His only defeat came in the season opener at Wake Forest to then top-ranked Petros Chrysochos. The Stuttgart, Germany native began his winning ways for his final campaign in Boiling Springs with a win at Coastal Carolina on February 1 and was victorious at Troy 24 hours later with a come-from-behind win over Oskar Michalek.
Entering Big South action, Scholl was 6-1 with four of his six wins being two-set victories. He went undefeated in league play with only one decision taking a full three sets. In addition to a stellar spring season, he finished in the Elite 8 at ITA Regionals in the fall with wins over Clemson's Carlos Kelaidis, College of Charleston's Benedikt Henning and the 71st-ranked player in the country at the time, NC State's Julian Ziobinsky.
He finished with 19 points and three first-place votes in Player of the Year voting, just one point off a tie with winner Henry Patten. Scholl also represented the Runnin' Bulldogs on the Big South All-Academic team and will graduate in December with a degree in International Business.
"Everybody knows Max's character is first class," said Griffith. "He went 31-2 in No.1 singles and doubles. The other thing people don't realize is that in four years with him on the team, we finished fourth, second, sixth and first, so he's helped place us among the leaders in the Big South."
Hurrion (Weymouth, England / Budmouth College) followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign in 2018, which also saw him earn First-Team All-Big South Singles and Doubles accolades, with a spot on the First-Team All-Big South Singles roster for the second consecutive season. He finished 14-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big South at No. 2 singles.
The Weymouth, England product began the spring season with a win over the nation's 39th-ranked singles player, Wake Forest's Melios Efstathiou, and won convincingly, 6-4, 6-2. He then won at Coastal Carolina before falling at UNCW.
The loss to UNCW's Daniel Groom did not deter Hurrion. He was ranked as high as 80th in the ITA singles poll and finished the year 14-3. With a 2-1 record through three matches, he began a 10-match winning-streak on February 10, which lasted into Big South play. The streak began with a nearly perfect match at Davidson as he outscored his opponent by a 12-1 score in two sets.
Eight of his 10 matches during the streak were won in straight sets. Highlights of his stellar run included a 6-2, 6-2 win over Winthrop's Connor Williamson and a 6-3, 6-3 victory over UNC Asheville's Oli Nolan.
"Millen showed a level of consistency and followed up a great freshman year with another great season," said Griffith. "I have never been around someone who has improved as much as Millen. He went from a good player to a great player. He's a great teammate. His style is so tough to play against; he's difficult to beat."
In doubles action, Scholl and Hurrion were named First-Team All-Big South for the second straight year. The duo was ranked as high as 26th in the ITA poll and went 14-1 overall with a perfect 6-0 record in league matches.
"Not only did they win 14 straight matches," stated Griffith, "but to win every set the way they did is difficult at this level. Hopefully their winning streak will continue."
The teammates suffered a loss at Wake Forest to start the year, but reeled off 14 consecutive victories. In two non-conference matches against Troy and UNCW, Scholl and Hurrion outscored their opponents, 12-1 in two victories. In Big South play, the pair was dominant, with their closest match being a 7-5 victory at Hampton in the second-to-last contest of the regular season. On five separate occasions, three of which were consecutive, the pair allowed opposing doubles teams to win just one game.
In the fall, Scholl and Hurrion victorious at the Farnsworth Invitational on the campus of Princeton University. At Princeton, they played in a tournament similar to the Davis Cup with each team playing a doubles match and two singles matches against a pairing another school. The winner of two-of-three matches advanced to the next round. Scholl and Hurrion dispatched teams from Drexel, William & Mary and Temple before defeating Princeton on its home court to capture the Farnsworth Invitational Crown.
With a combined 31-4 singles record and 14-1 doubles mark, the sophomore and senior will lead the top-seeded Runnin' Bulldogs into the Big South tournament. #1 Gardner-Webb will begin tournament play on Thursday, April 18 at 9 a.m. with a matchup vs. the winner of the #8 USC Upstate vs. #9 Hampton play-in game. The semifinals will take place on Friday, April 19 with the winner-take-all championship set for Saturday, April 20.
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