Friday, April 22
Baylor School
10:00 a.m.
Chattanooga
vs
Samford
Junior Derrick Brown shakes hands with the Samford No. 2 doubles team after he and John Peacey won (7-6 (5)).
Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer
Loss to Samford Ends Mocs Season in the SoCon Tournament
4/22/2016 4:18:00 PM | Men's Tennis
UTC closed out its 2016 campaign with a 4-1 loss to the Bulldogs.
The No. 7 seeded University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team fell 4-1 to No. 2 Samford in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament at Baylor School today.
"It was a great college match," head coach Carlos Garcia said. "I have to give credit where credit is due and Samford is a well-coached team. Our guys really focused today, especially in the doubles point. That was one of our best doubles points all year."
In the doubles, Nick Wingord and Michael Birnbaum fell 6-3 to Samford's Fares Kilani and Justin Ghavani. At No. 1, Luke Saunders and Lucas Plesky won their match 7-5, followed by a close tiebreaker win by John Peacey and Derrick Brown 7-6 (7-5) at No. 3 to clinch the doubles.
"That was one of the points that we needed to reverse, because throughout the year it's been difficult to win that point," Garcia said. "We felt very comfortable in the doubles today."
Chattanooga fell in their first four singles matches as Saunders lost to Samford's Trey Carter 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2. At No. 3, Wingord dropped a 6-3, 6-4 match to the Bulldogs' Leonared Gerch to fall behind 2-1.
The Bulldogs scored their next two singles points at No.1 and No. 4 as Plesky fell 6-3, 7-5 to Samford's Kilani and Peacey dropped a close tie breaker to the Bulldogs' Leonard Gerch, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), at No. 3 to end the match at 4-1.
"I think there's a lot we can take from this match heading into next year," Garcia said. "This team throughout this year faced a lot of adversity and every time they crossed that hurdle, we became a better program. They really came through a lot of hardships and became a better team at the end."
The Mocs conclude their season with a 7-15 overall record.
"I think from our seniors, the underclassmen can learn from their leadership, maturity and discipline, and I think that they showed that even more so today than ever," Garcia said. "They are good role models four program."
Samford 4, Chattanooga 1
Apr 22, 2016 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Baylor)
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Plesky/Luke Saunders (UTC) def. Leonard Gerch/Trey Carter (SAM) 7-5
2. John Peacey/Derrick Brown (UTC) def. Jake Faundez/Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Fares Kilani/Justin Ghavami (SAM) def. Michael Birnbaum/Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3
Singles competition
1. Fares Kilani (SAM) def. Lucas Plesky (UTC) 6-3, 7-5
2. Trey Carter (SAM) def. Luke Saunders (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Justin Ghavami (SAM) def. Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3, 6-4
4. Leonard Gerch (SAM) def. John Peacey (UTC) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Paul LaHue (UTC) vs. Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM) no result
6. Derrick Brown (UTC) vs. Jake Faundez (SAM) no result
Match Notes
Chattanooga 7-15
Samford 13-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,3,1,4)
SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals
Moved to the Baylor School Indoor Courts due to rain
T-2:25 A-52
"It was a great college match," head coach Carlos Garcia said. "I have to give credit where credit is due and Samford is a well-coached team. Our guys really focused today, especially in the doubles point. That was one of our best doubles points all year."
In the doubles, Nick Wingord and Michael Birnbaum fell 6-3 to Samford's Fares Kilani and Justin Ghavani. At No. 1, Luke Saunders and Lucas Plesky won their match 7-5, followed by a close tiebreaker win by John Peacey and Derrick Brown 7-6 (7-5) at No. 3 to clinch the doubles.
"That was one of the points that we needed to reverse, because throughout the year it's been difficult to win that point," Garcia said. "We felt very comfortable in the doubles today."
Chattanooga fell in their first four singles matches as Saunders lost to Samford's Trey Carter 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2. At No. 3, Wingord dropped a 6-3, 6-4 match to the Bulldogs' Leonared Gerch to fall behind 2-1.
The Bulldogs scored their next two singles points at No.1 and No. 4 as Plesky fell 6-3, 7-5 to Samford's Kilani and Peacey dropped a close tie breaker to the Bulldogs' Leonard Gerch, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), at No. 3 to end the match at 4-1.
"I think there's a lot we can take from this match heading into next year," Garcia said. "This team throughout this year faced a lot of adversity and every time they crossed that hurdle, we became a better program. They really came through a lot of hardships and became a better team at the end."
The Mocs conclude their season with a 7-15 overall record.
"I think from our seniors, the underclassmen can learn from their leadership, maturity and discipline, and I think that they showed that even more so today than ever," Garcia said. "They are good role models four program."
Samford 4, Chattanooga 1
Apr 22, 2016 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Baylor)
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Plesky/Luke Saunders (UTC) def. Leonard Gerch/Trey Carter (SAM) 7-5
2. John Peacey/Derrick Brown (UTC) def. Jake Faundez/Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Fares Kilani/Justin Ghavami (SAM) def. Michael Birnbaum/Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3
Singles competition
1. Fares Kilani (SAM) def. Lucas Plesky (UTC) 6-3, 7-5
2. Trey Carter (SAM) def. Luke Saunders (UTC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Justin Ghavami (SAM) def. Nick Wingord (UTC) 6-3, 6-4
4. Leonard Gerch (SAM) def. John Peacey (UTC) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Paul LaHue (UTC) vs. Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM) no result
6. Derrick Brown (UTC) vs. Jake Faundez (SAM) no result
Match Notes
Chattanooga 7-15
Samford 13-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,3,1,4)
SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals
Moved to the Baylor School Indoor Courts due to rain
T-2:25 A-52
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Tuesday, September 30
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