MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 1-seeded and No. 2-ranked University of West Florida men’s tennis team (23-2) became Gulf South Conference (GSC) Champions for the ninth time today as the Argos defeated No. 2-seeded and No. 5-ranked Valdosta State, 5-1, in the GSC Men’s Tennis Championships finals in Montgomery.
West Florida has won its last 14 matches. Valdosta State, which is the defending national champions, falls to 10-9 on the season. During the regular season, the Argos defeated Valdosta State, 8-1, in Pensacola. The Argos were a perfect 7-0 in conference play during the regular season, while VSU went 5-1.
West Florida won all three doubles matches. At the No. 1 line, the No. 2-ranked duo of Bruno Savi (Santana do Livramento, Brazil) and Kevin Ducros (Aix-en-Provence, France) defeated Christian Hansen and Niklas Herbring (VSU), 9-8. When VSU and UWF met during the regular season, VSU’s lone victory of the day was a 9-8 (7-5) win by Hansen and Herbring over Ducros and Savi. The No. 17-ranked duo of Leandro Ferreira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Andrey Pozhidaev (Sochi, Russia) defeated Tammo Haake and Sebastian Jasyk, 8-6, at the No. 2 position. Argonauts Mike Lue (Richmond Hill, Ontario) and Domenico Sano (Macaray, Venezuela) tallied an 8-3 victory over Konstantin Kutschenko and Nicola Kusy at No. 3.
Three singles matches were completed before UWF clinched the overall victory. Valdosta State received its only point of the day when No. 19-ranked Hansen defeated No. 9-ranked Ducros, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 1. UWF had two singles victories. At the N. 2 position, No. 12-ranked Savi defeated No. 45-ranked Kutschenko, 6-1, 6-4. Ferreira defeated Santiago Vidales, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 4. Once UWF clinched the match, all other matches were halted.
West Florida, which is the No. 1-ranked team in the South Region, will find out its postseason plans on Tuesday. The NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Tuesday, April 24th, at 7 p.m. central. Information on UWF’s postseason play and recaps of UWF’s remaining matches will be available on GoArgos.com. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
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#1 West Florida 5, #2 Valdosta State 1
04/22/12 at Montgomery, Ala. (Lagoon Park Tennis Center)
Gulf South Conference Tournament Finals
Singles Competition
1. No. 19 Christian Hansen (VSU) def. No. 9 Kevin Ducros (UWF) 6-0, 6-3
2. No. 12 Bruno Savi (UWF) def. No. 45 Konstantin Kutschenko (VSU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Match Not Finished
4. Leandro Ferreira (UWF) def. Santiago Vidales (VSU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Match Not Finished
6. Match Not Finished
Doubles Competition
1. No. 2 Bruno Savi/Kevin Ducros (UWF) def. Christian Hansen/Niklas Herbring (VSU) 9-8
2. No. 17 Leandro Ferreira/Andrey Pozhidaev (UWF) def. Tammo Haake/Sebastian Jasyk (VSU) 8-6
3. Mike Lue/Domenico Sano (UWF) def. Konstantin Kutschenko/Nicola Kusy (VSU) 8-3
Match Notes
No. 1–seed West Florida wins GSC Tournament Championship
West Florida 23-2; National Ranking #2; South Region #1
Valdosta State 10-9; National Ranking #5; South Region #4
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