MACON, Ga. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team played outside for the first time this spring Sunday afternoon, as the Vikings started their annual Spring Break Trip with a 5-2 loss at Mercer.
PDF BOX SCORE | Mercer 5, Cleveland State 2
Quick Hits
· With his win at No. 2 singles, Matthew Terry – who was playing in his home state of Georgia – picked up his 44th career win and is now just six wins shy of becoming the 15th Viking all-time with 50 career singles wins.
· Luke Phillips notched his fifth three-set victory this spring with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles against Mercer, earning his 40th career singles win.
· With his win at No. 3 singles, Luke Phillips picked up his 10th singles win this spring, becoming the second Viking to record double-digit wins during dual match play.
· Sunday's match against Mercer marked the first meeting between the two teams and the first time that the Vikings were playing outdoors this spring.
The Match
Due to incoming weather in the area, the two teams played singles matches first, with Mercer picking up wins on four of the six courts. Cleveland State's two singles wins came at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, as Matthew Terry picked up the win at No. 2 singles and Luke Phillips earned the win at No. 3 singles.
Terry returned to the lineup and snapped a three-match losing skid by picking up a 6-0, 7-6 (2) win at the No. 2 spot, while Phillips earned a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles – his sixth three-set match this spring.
Despite dropping the doubles point, the Cleveland State tandem of Raul Teichmann and Clark Bilinovich picked up a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles, improving to 3-1 this spring.
From The Sidelines
"Going into this match, I definitely thought it was a winnable team match for us, but it's always difficult when you are playing outside for the first time. Despite getting down 3-0 to begin singles, we continued to fight back and brought it to 3-2, and even had a chance to tie the score at 3-3 at the end of singles play. I saw some good things from several guys in the lineup, including Matt and Luke who took steps forward in both of their games. Despite the loss, I think this was a good match for us, that will make us better in the long run when we get to league play later this season." – head coach Brian Etzkin
Up Next
· The Vikings will stay in the state of Georgia for a 2:00 p.m. contest at Kennesaw State on Wednesday, March 13.
The Results
Doubles (3, 2, 1)
1. Stuart/Guillon (MER) def. Slade/Mostardi (CSU), 7-6
2. Tsirandidis/Georgadze (MER) def. Phillips/Malm (CSU), 6-4
3. Teichmann/Bilinovich (CSU) def. Arant/Salekar (MER), 6-1
Singles (5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4)
1. #116 Olivier Stuart (MER) def. Nico Mostardi (CSU), 6-4, 7-6(3)
2. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Nicolas Guillon (MER), 6-0, 7-6(2)
3. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Fernando Guardia (MER), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
4. Stathis Tsirandids (MER) def. Raul Teichmann (CSU), 1-6, 7-5, 7-5
5. Carver Arant (MER) def. Benjamin Slade (CSU), 6-1, 6-2
6. David Georgadze (MER) def. Clark Bilinovich (CSU), 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
