Mercer University
Kennesaw St.
Men's Tennis Picks Up First A-Sun Win Of The Season at Kennesaw State
3/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MARIETTA, Ga.—The Mercer teams split a pair of Atlantic Sun tennis matches with arch-rival Kennesaw State on Saturday afternoon at the Fair Oaks Tennis Center.
The Mercer men were able to claim their first A-Sun victory of the 2012 season in resounding fashion, powering past the Owls with a convincing 6-1 victory, while the women dropped a 7-0 decision in matches that took place simultaneously.
The men's team improved to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in league matches. The win also brought an end to a five-match skid for the Bears, and halted a three-game winning streak for the Owls. KSU dropped to 10-9 overall and 1-4 in A-Sun play.
The Mercer women fell to 2-9 overall and 0-5 in A-Sun action in the loss. Meanwhile, Kennesaw State improved to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in A-Sun play.
The Mercer men posted one of their most impressive performances of the season in notching their first A-Sun win of the season.
The afternoon started off well, as the Bears claimed their first doubles point since claiming the doubles point four matches ago against Florida Gulf Coast. Victor Dias and David Barton posted an 8-5 triumph over KSU's Simon Janik and Michael Browder at the No. 1 position, while Joao Pagan and Vincent DeLise produced an 8-2 win over the Owls' tandem of Louis Theodor and Gokalp Ozdemir at the No. 2, allowing for the 1-0 edge heading into singles play.
In singles play, the Bears claimed results at the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 positions. At the No. 1, Tafelski improved his individual mark to 6-5 this season, as he bested Theodor, 6-3, 6-1.
One of the best individual duals of the afternoon took place at the No. 2 position, where Pagan took a 6-3, 0-6, 5-6 decision after KSU's Tolliver retired. Tauchner booked another point for the Bears at the No. 3, posting a 6-4, 6-4 win over Gianni Kubin.
After dropping the opening set 1-6, Mercer's Barton fashioned a pair of solid sets to clinch a victory at the No. 4, closing out his individual battle with KSU's Janik, with 6-3 and 6-1 victories in the second and third sets, respectively.
KSU would claim its only point of the afternoon at the No. 5 positon, as Ozdemir posted a 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 win over DeLise.
Finally, Mercer's fifth win in the six singles matches came at the No. 6, as Dias posted a 7-5, 6-3 result over KSU's Pena.
In opposite fashion to their male counterparts, the Mercer women struggled to establish any type of momentum in the 7-0 setback to the Owl.
Additionally, the women's team was without the services of a full team, the Bears dropped the doubles point by default, and were also forced to yield one of the singles points, essentially beginning the match behind 2-0.
There was a little drama in the match for Mercer. One of the intriguing storylines for the Bears, however, has been the solid play of Lucie Payrat, who looked to continue her strong individual play at the No. 1 position this season. However, KSU's Vera Shkundina ended Payrat's two-match winning streak, with a 6-3, 6-0 win over the sophomore who hails from Rennes, France. The loss dropped Payrat's individual singles mark to 7-4 and dropped her A-Sun ledger to 2-3 this season.
The Mercer tennis teams continue A-Sun play next week, with a trip to the Volunteer State to do battle with East Tennessee State on Friday, April 6. The men's match is slated to get underway at 11:30 a.m., while the women's match will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Mercer 6, Kennesaw State 1
Singles competition
1. Pierre Tafelski (MER) def. Louis Theodor (KSU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Joao Pagan (MER) def. Alex Toliver (KSU) 6-3, 0-6, 5-6, retired
3. Peter Tauchner (MER) def. Gianni Kubin (KSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. David Barton (MER) def. Simon Janik (KSU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Gokalp Ozdemir (KSU) def. Vincent DeLise (MER) 5-7, 6-1, 1-0
6. Victor Dias (MER) def. Alexander Pena (KSU) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. David Barton/Victor Dias (MER) def. Simon Janik/Michael Browder (KSU) 8-5
2. Joao Pagan/Vincent DeLise (MER) def. Louis Theodor/Gokalp Ozdemir (KSU) 8-2
3. Alexander Pena/Alex Toliver (KSU) def. Pierre Tafelski/Peter Tauchner (MER) 8-3
Match Notes:
Mercer 4-9 (1-4 A-Sun)
Kennesaw State 10-9 (1-4 A-Sun)
Kennesaw State 7, Mercer 0
Singles competition
1. Vera Shkundina (KSU) def. Lucie Payrat (MER) 6-3, 6-0
2. Alexandra Apostu (KSU) def. Jennifer Lada (MER) 6-4, 6-3
3. Virginie Stein (KSU) def. Amanda Bertani (MER) 6-2, 6-0
4. Jana Hueckinghaus (KSU) def. Sarah Hanna (MER) 6-0, 6-0
5. Therese Lagerkvist (KSU) def. Katherine Cooper (MER) 6-0, 6-0
6. Tamara Plocher (KSU) def. No player (MER), by default
Doubles competition
1. Alexandra Apostu/Virginie Stein (KSU) def. Lucie Payrat/Jennifer Lada (MER) 8-4
2. Vera Shkundina/Therese Lagerkvist (KSU) def. Sarah Hanna/Amanda Bertani (MER) 8-0
3. Jana Hueckinghaus/Tamara Plocher (KSU) def. No player/No player (MER), by default
Match Notes:
Mercer 2-9 (0-5 A-Sun)
Kennesaw State 11-6 (3-2 A-Sun)
Players Mentioned
