College of Charleston
James Madison
Men?s Tennis Moves On to CAA Semis With 4-1 Win Over JMU
4/18/2015 1:34:00 AM | Men's Tennis
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. –College of Charleston men's tennis won four straight singles matches to overcome an early deficit and defeat JMU, 4-1, in the quarterfinals of the CAA Championships on Friday afternoon at the Millie West Tennis Facility in Williamsburg, Va.
The Cougars (14-9, 3-1 CAA), who entered the conference tournament as a No. 4 seed, met the Dukes (8-11, 2-4 CAA) just two weeks after defeating them, 6-1, in Harrisonburg. In a repeat of the last time the two teams met, CofC claimed an early 1-0 lead after wins at the No. 1 and 3 spots. Junior Josh Record and sophomore Rodrigo Encinas got Charleston started with an 8-4 victory over Maxi Branth and Alex Berdnikoff on court three. After JMU evened the score with an 8-6 win at the No. 2 spot, the doubles point once again came down to top-seeded seniors Brice Allanic and Alon Faiman. The All-CAA Second Team selections, who needed a tiebreak to beat JMU's Sebastian Salinas and Maljan Ruzic in the last outing, clinched the doubles point for a second time against the Dukes with an 8-4 victory.
JMU was undaunted as the two teams headed into singles action and the Dukes' top-seeded singles player, Rob Stirling, was able to tie the match 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Allanic. Junior Garrett Gordon gave the Cougars their edge back with a 6-0, 6-4 triumph over Stephan Goldman on court six. Junior Zack Lewis extended CofC's lead with a three-set victory over Ruzic at the No. 5 spot, the fifth straight singles victory for the All-CAA Academic Team honoree.
Charlie Ghriskey clinched the match for CofC with a 7-6(1), 6-2 triumph over Brett Moorhead at the No. 3 spot. Ghriskey was recently named to the All-CAA Second Team and now holds a 15-8 record on the year, including a 3-1 mark against conference opponents.
Charleston advances to the semifinals of the CAA Championships, where the team will face top-seeded UNC Wilmington in a rematch of the CAA Championship match last year. The Seahawks (12-7, 1-0 CAA) who are ranked 63rd in the country, according to the latest ITA poll, routed eight-seeded Delaware 4-0 this afternoon. First serve will be at 2 pm.
Fans can follow the action on Twitter @caasports or Instagram @caasports. Visit the conference website for highlights, live scoring and recaps.
Singles:
1. Rob Stirling (JMU) def. Brice Allanic (CofC) 6-4, 6-2
2. Rodrigo Encinas (CofC) vs. Sebastian Salinas (JMU) 2-6, 6-5, unf.
3. Charlie Ghriskey (CofC) def. Brett Moorhead (JMU) 7-6(1), 6-2
4. Vasily Kichigin (CofC) def. Maxi Branth (JMU) 2-6, 6-0, 4-3 , unf.
5. Zack Lewis (CofC) def. Miljan Ruzic (JMU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Garrett Gordon (CofC) def. Stephen Goldman (JMU) 6-0, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 5, 3
Doubles:
1. Brice Allanic/Alon Faiman (CofC) def. Sebastian Salinas/Maljan Ruzic (JMU) 8-4
2. Rob Stirling/Brett Moorhead (JMU) def. Charlie Ghriskey/Zack Lewis (CofC) 8-6
3. Josh Record/Rodrigo Encinas (CofC) def. Maxi Branth/Alex Berdnikoff (JMU) 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Players Mentioned
