ASHEVILLE, N.C.---- For the second consecutive year, the Gardner-Webb men's tennis team is the regular season champion of the Big South Conference.

On a windy, 43-degree Friday afternoon at the Asheville Racquet Club Downtown, the visiting Runnin' Bulldogs overcame a game UNC Asheville squad on senior day, 4-3, to secure their third regular season Big South Championship in six years.

Gardner-Webb, which has now won five consecutive matches, improves to 17-3 overall and 4-0 in Big South play.

Asheville falls to 12-6 overall (2-1 Big South Conference).  

"The conditions today were very tough," said Gardner-Webb head tennis coach Mike Griffith, "It was cold and super windy, but we had the confidence we could go out and get the win."

Asheville was able to capture the doubles point with two wins in doubles play, before Gardner-Webb rallied for four wins in singles play to capture the victory.

In the double's competition, Gardner-Webb fell behind early as the Dawgs No.3 tandem of senior John Spring (Miramar Beach, Fla.) and junior Alex Lepine (Montreal, Canada) fell to Freddy Murray and Sam Nicholson, 3-6.

The host Bulldogs would clinch the doubles point on Court No.2, when the Runnin' Bulldogs duo of junior Numa Lemieux-Monette (Montreal, Canada) and freshman Jurie Terblanche (Perth, Australia) lost 3-6 to Bruno Serra and Cian Ingles.

In the singles competition, Gardner-Webb would rally to win four-straight points on courts two, six, three and four to capture the match and back-to-back regular-season conference titles.

At No.2 singles, Lepine prevailed (6-3, 6-2) over Nicholson.

Johan Van Wijk (Somerset West, South Africa) stepped in and won 6-4, 6-3 over Rafa Serra at No.6 singles while Lemieux-Monette defeated Jon Brann Reid (6-4, 7-5) on Court No. 3.

On Court No.4, junior Kim Niethammer (Harrenburg, Germany) defeated Tarek Erlewein (6-2, 6-2) to secure the Dawgs gutty-gritty comeback and clinch the match point.

Rounding out the rest of the singles competition for the Runnin' Bulldogs, Chrisjan Van Wyk (Pretoria, South Africa) lost a tough three-set match 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8) to Bruno Serra at No. 5, singles.

Senior Eduardo Dias (Parana, Brazil) saw his 18-match winning streak come to an end as he fell to the reigning Big South Conference Tennis Player of the Week Freddy Murray, 5-7, 5-7.

"I am so proud of the boys," said Griffith. "It was great the way we mounted a comeback. UNC Asheville is a tough team and are very well coached. We have a lot of respect for their team."

Up Next— Gardner-Webb will host Jacksonville State on Sunday (4/07) at 2PM at the Webb Tennis Center.