CSU men defeat USC Aiken 5-0, advance to Southeast Regional final
Columbus State men’s tennis team got off to a fast start in the doubles matches Saturday and swept seventh-seeded USC Aiken 5-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at the Mary V. Blackmon Tennis Center.
The No. 10 Cougars, the second seed, will face No. 4 Lander, the third seed, in the regional final today at 3 p.m. The winner advances to the sweet 16.
“The guys played outstanding today,” coach Evan Issacs said in a release. “We have plenty to improve on, but the level that we played at today was great.”
CSU’s Marco Almorin and Martynas Zakaitis got things started with an 8-2 win over Clement Raymond and Jaime Gusano in No. 2 doubles.
The No. 1 doubles team of KP Pannu and Zach Whaanga then closed out Julien Tan and Mathias Degardin of USC Aiken 8-4 for a 2-0 lead.
In the No. 3 doubles match, CSU’s Benedict Wilde and Naciej Kierkus defeated Hunter Lathrop and Alejandro Andino 8-4 to stake the Cougars to a 3-0 lead.
In singles matches, 25th-ranked Pannu defeated 37th-ranked Tan 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 singles to put CSU up 4-0. CSU was leading in three of the five remaining singles matches when Kierkus closed out Gusano 6-0, 6-3 to send CSU to regional final against Lander.
Saturday at Mary V. Blackmon Center
Singles
1. #25 KP Pannu (CSU) def. #37 Julien Tan (USCA) 6-1, 6-1
2. Marco Almorin (CSU) vs. Mathias Degardin (USCA) 6-4, 0-1, unfinished
3. Jorge Vargas (CSU) vs. Clement Raymond (USCA) 3-6, 0-5, unfinished
4. Zach Whaanga (CSU) vs. Hunter Lathrop (USCA) 5-7, unfinished
5. Benedikt Wilde (CSU) vs. Alejandro Andino (USCA) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
6. Maciej Kierkus (CSU) def. Jaime Gusano (USCA) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
1. Pannu/Whaanga (CSU) def. Julien Tan/Mathias Degardin (USCA) 8-4
2. Almorin/Martynas Zakaitis (CSU) def. Clement Raymond/Jaime Gusano (USCA) 8-2
3. Wilde/Kierkus (CSU) def. Hunter Lathrop/Alejandro Andino (USCA) 8-4
Lady Cougars open regional with Queens today
The No. 9 CSU women’s tennis team begins its NCAA title quest today with a match at 9 a.m. against Queens at the Blackmon Tennis Center.
CSU comes in the second seed and Queens is seeded seventh. In the other match, No. 10 Flagler, third seed, will take on USC-Aiken, sixth seed, at noon.
The winners of those matches will meet Monday at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the sweet 16 in Denver.
CSU is led by three-time All-Peach Belt Conference singles player Beatriz Leon. Leon was 15-4 this season at No. 1 singles spot.
Camila Tobar also had a strong season, going 15-5 with most of her matches at the No. 2 position.
In doubles, Tobar and Kirsa Utech are ranked No. 9 nationally with a 20-5 record. They were All-PBC first team and went 11-1 in the conference.
Leon and Giorga Vitale were All-PBC second team selections, posting a 19-4 record.
“This is what we have been working for since preseason,” coach Issacs said in a release. “It is going to be a grind, but we are ready and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.”
CSU, with 20 NCAA appearances, has reached the round of 16 the last four seasons.
This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "CSU men defeat USC Aiken 5-0, advance to Southeast Regional final."