MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College Men's Tennis team (2-2) beat Emmanuel College (1-3) in a hard-fought 4-3 battle Friday, giving GC head coach Steve Barsby his 600th career victory.
A former Division II Men's National Coach of the Year, Barsby is in his 21st year at Georgia College, owning 260 wins in men's tennis and 303 in women's for 563 as a Bobcat. Add that to his two seasons at Troy State University, and tonight makes win No. 600.
Doubles action was a GC sweep. In the first slot, Matt Rogel (Sautron, France) teamed with countryman Enzo Sergi (Nice, France) for a 7-5 win over Wilfredo Lara and Kornel Kimaszewski.
Third doubles clinched the team point with a 6-4 win, as Cole Heller (Woodstock) and Jack Sorel (Alpharetta) beat Juan Camilo Torres and Diego Perez-Griffo.
Completing the sweep with a hard-fought 7-6[4] victory in the second slot was Sebastian Nunez (Buford) and Lukas Zavrel (Ulvano, Czech Republic), outlasting Joan Grosset and Manav Sreekumar.
The Lions evened the match at 1-1 after Sreekmuar beat Jesus Villamizar Abia (Venezuela) 6-3, 6-4 in third singles. Rogel put them back in front by topping Thembokwkhe Makhanya 7-5, 6-4 in first singles. Next came another Emmanuel win, as Lara beat Jorge Robinson (Entre Rios, Argentina) by a 6-3, 6-4 score.
Sorel then won a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 marathon with Juan Carlos Romero in fourth singles. Zavrel couldn't get past Lucas Sasaki in the fifth slot [6-3, 6-2] as the match drew even once again at 3-3.
Sergi and Jorge Canadas went toe-to-toe with the team result on the line. Sergi picked up the first set in extras 7-6[5]. Canadas followed suit with a 7-6[5] win in the second. Sergi then turned the tables for the final set, blanking the Emmanuel player 6-0 as Sergi was mobbed by his teammates.
The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m., traveling to No. 9 Flagler College.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics is proud to receive the 2020 NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner Cup and the former PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, GC Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on Graduating Champions For Life. Sign up at @GCBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
