FLORENCE, S.C. – The No. 13 Georgia College Men's Tennis team (14-8) defeated No. 22 University of North Georgia 5-2 in the opening round of the 2016 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) before being eliminated by No. 3 Armstrong State University in the Semifinal round, 5-1.
In the Quarterfinals against No.5-seeded North Georgia, the No. 4-seeded Georgia College men worked their way to a narrow 2-1 lead after doubles action.
The duo of Yannick Hass (Troisdorf, Germany) and Christian Graff (Lohmar, Germany) dismantled Philipp Mueller and Niklas Zielen 8-5 in the first slot to earn the first team point of the day. But the Nighthawks responded with their first, as Lukas Moritzen and Andre Canino edged out Taylor Powell (Martinez, Georgia) and Jannik Kumbier (Neumünster, Germany) by a close 9-8 (8-6) margin in the second slot. However, Pedro Ecenarro (Santiago de Compostela, Spain) and Kyle Kinsler (Suwanee, Georgia) fought back to regain the lead, defeating Alexander Reinauer and Joe Klokow, 9-8 (7-5) in the third.
Hass quickly extended the Bobcats' lead with a win in first slot singles. The Georgia College senior beat Mueller 6-4 in straight sets. Trailing 3-1, the Nighthawks delayed elimination with a win in the third slot, keeping their tournament hopes alive when Reinauer outdueled Powell in a 6-2, 6-4 result.
However, the latter portion of the match proved to be in the Bobcats' favor, as they went on to seal the deal with a victory in the fourth and sixth slots. Anton Waern (Taby, Sweden) stretched the lead to three after he fought off Canino in the sixth, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, while Graff ended the match with the exact 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 result against Hughes Renald. With a 5-2 final, his win vaulted Georgia College into the next round.
In the Semifinals, the Bobcat men were defeated 5-1 at the hands of defending champion and top-seeded Armstrong State University. Outmatched the majority of the contest, the lone win for Georgia College came in doubles play when Powell and Kumbier garnered an upset of No. 7 Pablo Gor and Ignacio Hernandez in the second slot.
The team will now await the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional Tournament Selection Show on May 3rd to find out where their season will go moving forward.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Keep up with @GCBobcats on social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
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