No. 2 Argos Battle, Fall to No. 1 Armstrong, 5-0

May 19, 2012

Argos’ Season Ends with 28-3 Record

UWF Argonauts with the 2012 Runners-Up Trophy (Photo by Matt Rowley, UWF Sports Information)

Related Item: Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 2-ranked University of West Florida men’s tennis team’s quest for a national championship came up short today as the Argos fell to top-ranked Armstrong, 0-5, in the finals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis National Championships in Louisville. Armstrong finishes the year with a perfect 30-0 record and wins its third national championship, while the Argos’ season ends with a 28-3 record.

“We fought hard, I’m proud of each of these guys. To go a whole season and finish second and only lose two Division II matches shows a lot of heart,” said head coach Derrick Racine. “Today we showed a lot of heart and fought to the end. They have a lot of be proud of, and they can keep their heads up.”

Today’s loss snaps a 19-match winning streak for the Argonauts and brings UWF’s season record to 28-3. UWF’s only losses to Division II teams this season came at the hands of Armstrong today and on Feb. 25th. UWF’s other loss was to Division I Ole Miss in March.

Armstrong swept doubles. At the No. 2 position, The No. 17-ranked duo of Sven Lalic and Pedro Scocuglia took an early 3-1 lead and never looked back, defeating UWF’s No. 18-ranked doubles tandem of Leandro Ferreira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Andrey Pozhidaev (Sochi, Russia), 8-2. The loss snapped a 15-match winning streak for Ferreira and Pozhidaev. A battle of the top doubles teams ensued at the No. 1 position, where Mikk Irdoja and Georgi Rumenov, the top-ranked doubles tandem, handed Argonauts Bruno Savi (Santana do Livramento, Brazil) and Kevin Ducros (Aix-en-Provence, France), whom together from the No. 2 doubles duo in the nation, an 8-5 defeat. Armstrong’s duo of Eudaldo Bonet and Matus Mydla won five of the last six games to defeat Argos Mike Lue (Richmond Hill, Ontario) and Domenico Sano (Macaray, Venezuela), 8-6, at No. 3.

All six of Armstrong’s singles players are ranked in the top 40 in the nation, including three in the top five. The Pirates won the first set at all six singles positions. At the No. 4 position, UWF junior Ferreira battled heat exhaustion and cramping but fell to No. 12-ranked Mydla, 6-2, 6-4. With Armstrong just one point away from taking the championship title, the Argos battled to try to force third sets. The Argos’ title bid fell short as Rumenov, the No. 1 player in the nation, defeated No. 7-ranked Ducros, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1. It is the third men’s tennis national championship for Armstrong, with the other two coming in 2008 and 2009.

In 2012, the Argos won the Gulf South Conference. West Florida received the No. 1 seed in the South Region and hosted and won South Regional #1, punching the Argos’ ticket to Louisville. UWF defeated No. 42 Nebraska Kearney, 5-0, in the round of 16 and No. 12 Ouachita Baptist in the quarterfinals. Yesterday, the Argos recorded a 5-0 victory over No. 21 Augusta State in the semifinals to advance to the finals. Today was UWF’s fourth appearance in the NCAA finals. The Argos won the championship in 2004 and 2005. UWF’s other appearance was in 1997. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.

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#1 Armstrong 5, #2 West Florida 0
05/19/12 at Louisville, Ky. (Top Gun Tennis Academy)
2012 NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis National Championships Match

Singles Competition
1. #1 Georgi Rumenov (ARM) def. No. 7 Kevin Ducros (UWF) 6-4, 6-4
2. #3 Eudaldo Bonet (ARM) vs. No. 11 Bruno Savi (UWF) 6-4, 3-4 unfinished
3. No. 20 Andrey Pozhidaev (UWF) vs. #4 Mikk Irdoja (ARM) 4-6, 6-1, 2-1
4. #12 Matus Mydla (ARM) def. Leandro Ferreira (UWF) 6-2, 6-4
5. #28 Sven Lalic (ARM) vs. Elio Latela (UWF) 6-3, 5-5 unfinished
6. #38 Pedro Scocuglia (ARM) vs. Domenico Sano (UWF) 6-3, 3-3

Doubles Competition
1. #1 Mikk Irdoja/Georgi Rumenov (ARM) def. #2 Bruno Savi/Kevin Ducros (UWF) 8-5
2. #17 Sven Lalic/Pedro Scocuglia (ARM) def. #18 Leandro Ferreira/Andrey Pozhidaev (UWF) 8-2
3. Eudaldo Bonet/Matus Mydla (ARM) def Mike Lue/Domenico Sano (UWF) 8-6

Match Notes
West Florida 28-3; National Ranking #2; South Region #1
Armstrong 30-0; National Ranking #1; Southeast Region #1
Order of Finish: D2, D1, D3, S4, S1
Armstrong - 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis National Champions

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