By: Benjamin Petree, Sports Information Student.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University Men's Tennis squad (4-2) swept Converse University (2-7) Saturday at home 7-0 to start the weekend back-to-back matchups for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats secured the doubles points with victories on the second and third lines. In first doubles, Gabe Cizek (Prague, Czech Republic) and Luka Sauer Jimenez (Nyon, Switzerland) gave it their all against Merlin Bellet and Enzo Marcheschi but lost 6-2.
Following on the second line, Karol Malirz (Marbella, Spain) and Enzo Sergi (Nice, France) bounced back for the Bobcats, overcoming their opponents Leopold Morel and Marty Letessier, 7-6 in a tiebreaker match. Aurélien Arlot (Paris, France) and Jorge Robinson (Entre Rios, Argentina) secured the doubles point for the Bobcats on the third line, pairing for the first time to defeat Gregoire Legrand and Paul Berrouet 6-4.
Finishing first in singles play, Malirz faced off against Legrand on the second line winning 6-0, 6-1 for the Bobcats. Sauer Jimenez put the Bobcats further in the lead over Converse with his three-set victory over Morel, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Securing the win for the Bobcats, Masumi Komada (Aichi, Japan) beat Letessier 6-2, 6-0 on the fifth line.
Following this, Robinson defeated Marcheschi in a hard-fought three-set match to put the Bobcats further in the lead; 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 was the final match score. Cizek followed next for the Bobcats, defeating Bellet 7-5, 7-5. Finishing off the day for the Bobcat Men and securing the sweep over Converse, Sergi defeated Berrouet on the sixth line 6-2, 7-5. The Bobcat junior is perfect in a pair of singles matches this season.
Robinson, Cizek and Malirz share the team lead with four singles victories each.
The next match for the Bobcat Men's Tennis team is tomorrow, March 5, where they will play host to Catawba College. The first serve is set for 12 p.m.
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.
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