MACON, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University Men's Tennis team (2-2) took the fight to Division I Mercer University (5-6) in an upset bid, falling 5-2 Wednesday on the road.
The Bobcats dropped the doubles point in a sweep. In the first slot, Gabe Cizek (Prague, Czech Republic) and Luka Sauer Jimenez (Nyon, Switzerland) fell to Mariano Argote and Samuel MacLeod 6-3.
Second doubles brought a 6-3 loss for Sebastian Nuñez (Buford) and Masumi Komada (Aichi, Japan) to Nemanja Stefanovic and Marceau Foulihoux. The third line saw Karol Malirz (Marbella, Spain) and Enzo Sergi (Nice, France) team for a 6-2 loss to Samuel Barrow and Lucas Dini.
Mercer doubled its advantage with the first singles result, as on the third line Sauer Jimenez lost to Dini 6-4, 6-1. Next came fourth singles, a pair of 6-2 sets in in a loss for Rodrigo Pérez Crespo (Ourense, Spain) to MacLeod. The Bears clinched the team win next in the fifth slot, as Aurélien Arlot (Paris, France) fell to Foulihoux 6-4, 6-3.
The Bobcats picked up their first point in sixth singles. Komada beat Barrow in the sixth slot 6-3, 6-4, the Bobcat junior improving his singles mark to 2-1 in the process. On the second line, Malirz lost to Stefanovic 6-4, 6-2. In first singles, Cizek battled Argote in a back-and-forth match, the Bobcats picking up a win 7-6[4], 5-7, 10-8. Cizek is now 2-2 this season.
The Bobcats are back in action Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m., traveling to Columbus to take on the University of Montevallo in a neutral-site dual.
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.
