Box score
SUMTER, S.C. --- The second-seeded Limestone
College men's tennis team edged third-seeded Lees-McRae College by
a tally of 5-4 on Saturday in the semifinal round of the Conference
Carolinas Tournament, advancing to Sunday's championship match at
the Palmetto Tennis Center after holding off a late surge by the
Bobcats.
Limestone's (17-5) top-flight duo of Jordan Vicain and Miguel
Lopez Zuniga opened the day with an 8-4 victory over Lees-McRae's
(8-9) tandem of Nandor Solymosi (Drebecen, Hungary) and Travis
VanHoy (Olin, N.C.), before Mike Stephenson and Rafael Ferla
defeated Pedro De Sousa Nunes (Florianopolis, Santa Catarina,
Brazil) and Graham Battle (Boone, N.C.) by a tally of 8-1.
Alexander Hayes (Mexico City, Mexico) and Callum Loveridge
(Ashbourne, England) cut the margin to 2-1 with an 8-2 win against
Abraham Lascari Diaz and Daniel Lopez.
Zuniga answered with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Solymosi at No. 1
singles, before Ferla pushed the lead to 4-1 with a 6-1, 6-1
victory against Hayes. Nunes countered with a 6-1, 6-1 win of his
own against Vicain to kick start the rally, as Loveridge cut the
lead to 4-3 with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 victory over Diaz. Battle
evened the match at 4-4 at No. 6 singles, battling back for a 3-6,
7-5, 6-4 win over Lopez before Stephenson delivered the deciding
point for the Saints with a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 victory against
VanHoy.
Lees-McRae is expected to return eight letter-winners from this
year's squad, including Nunes, who was named to the all-Conference
Carolinas Third Team this season. The Bobcats posted an 8-9 record
this season, playing a demanding schedule that featured five
matches against NCAA Division I opponents.
- LMC -
