College of Charleston
Furman
Cougars Roll Furman 4-1, Prepare to Meet Samford in Finals
4/23/2011 12:15:00 AM | Men's Tennis
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – College of Charleston men's tennis registered its eighth straight victory as it defeated Furman, 4-1, in the semifinal round of the 62nd Southern Conference Championships at The Champion's Club in Chattanooga.
The second-seeded Cougars (17-5) advance to the final match for the first time since 2003, when CofC beat East Tennessee State 4-1 for the title. The 2011 team has a chance to repeat history by winning both the regular season and tournament crowns.
“This is what we've been working for, to give ourselves an opportunity like this at the end of the season,” head coach Jay Bruner said of the team's success.
Senior Mickael Boyer (Meudon, France) clinched the match for the second straight day, picking up a 6-4, 6-4 win over Tyler Droll at the No. 4 spot. The co-captain is 13-7 on the season and riding a six-match win streak.
“For Boyer to clinch the match as a senior was really great and the guys were really pushing each other,” Bruner said. “Everyone stepped up to find a way to get us four points.”
CofC gained an early advantage by winning the doubles point with victories at the second and third spots. Sophomore Billy Kenny (Pawley's Island, S.C.) and junior Mickael Trintignac (Le Cannet, France) registered an 8-2 win over Andrei Chvetsov and Marco Aru at the No. 3 spot. Junior Tom Delme (Hamoir, Belgium) and sophomore Stephen Hardy (Fairfax, Va.) clinched the doubles point with their 16th win as a pair, an 8-3 victory over second-seeded Joel Cook and Alex Christ.
The Cougars took four of six first sets from the Paladins in singles. Points came at the hands of Boyer, sophomore Kyle Parker (Richmond, Va.) and Hardy at the fourth through sixth spots. Parker increased the team's lead with a 6-0, 6-4 triumph over Cook while Hardy registered a 6-2, 6-3 win over Aru. Hardy remains undefeated in conference play through 11 matches.
The No. 4 Paladins (9-18) earned their sole point at the No. 1 spot as Sawyer Duncan defeated senior Lukas Koncilia (Tyrol, Austria) in straight sets.
CofC has now defeated Furman in three of the last four meetings.
Coach Bruner and his squad will now turn their attention to Samford, who bested top-seeded Elon 4-1 in the other semifinal on Friday. The No. 5 Bulldogs are 18-6 on the year. CofC won its regular season matchup 6-1, at Samford on Apr. 3.
“We've certainly got our work cut out for us tomorrow,” Bruner said. “They were able to beat Elon today and they are a deep team and a strong team. It should be a good match.”
Live stats of tomorrow's 2 p.m. match are available on the championships page of the Southern Conference website, www.soconsports.com.
Doubles
1. Lukas Koncilia/Kyle Parker (CofC)
def. Sawyer Duncan/Andrew Mellon (FUR) 5-4, unfinished
2. Tom Delme/Stephen Hardy (CofC) def. Joel Cook/Alex Christ (FUR) 8-3
3. Billy Kenny/Mickael Trintignac (CofC) def. Andrei Chvetsov/Marco Aru (FUR) 8-2
Singles
1. Sawyer Duncan (FUR) def. Lukas Koncilia (CofC) 6-0, 6-3
2. Mickael Trintignac (CofC) vs. Andrew Mellow (FUR) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
3. Alex Christ (FUR ) vs. Tom Delme (CofC) 7-6 (5), 3-1, unfinished
4. Mickael Boyer (CofC) def. Alex Christ (FUR) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kyle Parker (CofC) def. Joel Cook (FUR) 6-0, 6-4
6. Stephen Hardy (CofC) def. Robbie Aru (FUR) 6-2, 6-3
Players Mentioned
