MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Finishing a match suspended by rain Sunday, the Georgia College & State University Men's Tennis team (8-8, 2-3 PBC) got its highest-ranked win of the season Monday, beating No. 18 University of North Georgia (7-7, 2-3 PBC) 4-3 at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility.
The match-clinching victory came in fifth singles, from freshman Luka Sauer Jimenez (Nyon, Switzerland). He dropped the first set to Giulio Sassi 2-6, then took set two 6-1. With both players battling nagging injuries from the grueling match, Sauer Jimenez won the back-and-forth final set 7-5.
The Bobcats got the doubles point Sunday, grabbing wins in the second and third slots. In second doubles, Sebastian Nuñez (Buford) and Masumi Komada (Aichi, Japan) paired for a 6-4 win over Daniel Ostap and Sassi.
Third doubles saw Enzo Sergi (Nice, France) and Karol Malirz (Marbella, Spain) beat Robin Eldin and Eliseo Alcalde 6-2. In first doubles, Gabe Cizek (Prague, Czech Republic) and Sauer Jimenez fell to the nation's #18 doubles pairing in Joaquin Benoit and Cole Brainard by a 6-2 tally.
First singles evened the team bout at 1-1 as Cizek couldn't upset No. 13 Benoit, falling in a pair of 6-2 sets. Rodrigo Pérez Crespo (Ourense, Spain) put GCSU back in front with his finish in fourth singles, topping Christopher Cahour 7-6[5], 6-2. Malirz then beat Ostap on the second line, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.
With the final three bouts on the courts, the rains came. That suspended the match as it was picked up at 3 p.m. today. The first result of the restart went to the Nighthawks, as Komada dropped a 6-7[1], 6-2, 6-0 matchup with Brainard. Next came Sauer Jimenez's heroics to clinch the team win. Sixth singles closed the day, as Jorge Robinson (Entre Rios, Argentina) lost to Eldin 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The win puts the Bobcats at 2-3 in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play this season, tied for fourth with North Georgia.
The Bobcats are back in action tomorrow, April 18 at 1 p.m., traveling to No. 4 Columbus State University to close the regular season.
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.
