College of Charleston
CofC Men's Invitational
Men's Tennis Claims Six Flights at Charleston Invitational
10/13/2014 8:53:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's tennis team put in a dominant display this past weekend at the home-hosted Charleston Invitational, winning six of twelve flight championships against strong competition at the CofC Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
Coming off a season in which the Cougars fell just one match short of the NCAA tournament and finished with the second highest final ITA ranking in program history (No. 74), head coach Jay Bruner and company are off to a flying start this fall having already impressed at the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate prior to their fantastic showing this past weekend.
Senior Charlie Ghriskey set the tone for The College, going undefeated in the Maroon singles draw, downing Campbell's Jonathan O'Neal, Appalachian State's Zack Bost and Kennesaw's David Durham to claim top honors for the Cougars. Not to be outdone, fellow returners Zack Lewis and Brice Allanic also won their respective flights, combining for a 6-1 record in singles play. Lewis in particular was impressive, fighting through tie-breaker scenarios in each match to claim the Black flight title, finishing with a record of 2-1. Allanic on the other hand, – who played at the No. 1 position for the Cougars last season – breezed through the B flight in straight sets.
Newcomer Vasily Kichigin – affectionately known in his native St. Petersburg, Russia as simply, "The Machine" – earned his first silverware as a member of the program, winning 70% of his games en route to a straight sets 3-0 record to place himself atop the White flight.
The Cougars were also impressive in doubles play, where Lewis and returning all-conference selection Rodrigo Encinas won the second doubles flight after battling through a tough opening match against Campbell's pairing of Billington and Rakitin, 8-6. In their final two matches, the Cougar duo dropped just six games on their way to winning the flight.
In the final doubles flight, it was Allanic and teammate Garrett Gordon, who after downing the Campbell pairing of Krone and Rogers, easily dismissed of Appalachian State's Mahan and Green before closing out their 3-0 record and flight championship with a comprehensive win over Kennesaw's Johnson and George.
"I'm proud the guys," said head coach Jay Bruner. "It was nice to get some competitive matches under our belt at home and I think these successes will help us going forward as we gear up for the ITA Regionals and then – of course – the start of our spring season. We can't wait to get back out on the court."
The Cougars are back in action this weekend at the ITA Regional Championships in Cary N.C., at the Cary Tennis Park.
Stay tuned to CofCSports.com for all information regarding upcoming College of Charleston tennis action.
Players Mentioned
