Pacers Come Up Shy in Upset Attempt of Nationally-Ranked Columbus State
AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men’s and women’s tennis teams were unable to collect victories over nationally-ranked Columbus State on Saturday afternoon at the USC Aiken Tennis Complex.
The 17th-ranked USC Aiken men fell 6-3 to the eighth-ranked Columbus State men, while the USC Aiken women dropped a 9-0 decision to the eighth-ranked Columbus State women.
The loss drops the Pacer men to 7-9 on the spring. The Pacers
are now 1-6 in Peach Belt Conference action. The nationally-ranked
Columbus State men improve 9-3 and 4-1 in the PBC.
USC Aiken’s women’s tennis team with its loss to
Columbus State sees its record drop to 6-9 on the season. The
Pacers are currently 2-7 in the PBC.
The Pacer men opened things on Saturday afternoon with the tandem of Gregory Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Sergio D'Amorim) and Juan Xavier Ponce (Miami, Fla. /Drury University) knocking off Columbus State’s nationally eighth-ranked duo of Frank Suarez and Christophe Noblet, 8-6, at No. 1 doubles. The victory was the ninth consecutive doubles win for the Pacer duo.
The win at No. 1 doubles would be USC Aiken’s lone in doubles. USC Aiken would then win at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, but it would not be enough to debunk Columbus State in the match.
Andrade acquired a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Columbus State’s Martin Shishkov at No. 2 singles, while Nicolas Markeiwicz (Miami, Fla. /Drury University) collected a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Columbus State’s Olivier Simonet at No. 3 singles.
The USC Aiken men and women will next take on Georgia Southwestern at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, March 29 at the USC Aiken Tennis Complex.
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