MT challenges No. 23 South Carolina

Friday, February 13

Nashville, Tenn.

4:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

South Carolina

2/13/2015 10:48:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Blue Raiders fall in hard fought match to Gamecocks

By: @MTAthletics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's men's tennis program faced another quality opponent in South Carolina on Friday evening. The men proved time and time again the fight they had in them, but the Gamecocks walked away with a 4-1 win over the Blue Raiders.

Coach Jimmy Borendame decided to switch up the doubles lineups for the match, and with that change came solid results.

At No. 2 doubles, the new pair of Yannick Born and Gian Issa led 4-1 early on, but their opponents from South Carolina came back to win the match 8-6.

Ben Davis and Victor Hoang collaborated for the first time this season at No. 1 doubles, and took down the No. 46 ITA nationally ranked team 8-3. The Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead in the match by winning at No. 3 doubles over Robin Riethmueller and Dima Zyhmantovic 8-5.

The Gamecocks got off to a hot start in singles play, as #120 Harrison O'Keefe defeated MT's Hoang 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles. No. 3 singles was won by #103 Andrew Schafer from USC over Zyhmantovic, 6-2, 6-2.

The matches at No. 1 and 2 singles were both three set thrillers and were some of the most entertaining matches the Blue Raiders have been a part of all season long, with both competitors hitting big shot after big shot.

Davis and Zito finished almost simultaneously, as Davis finished off his opponent in three sets to take the win 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-4. After being down 0-3 in the first, he fought back to tie the match at 6-6 before losing the tiebreak. In the second, Davis jumped out front and never looked back, cruising to a 6-2 set win. The third set was the same old song and dance, as he took the third set 6-4 to give the Blue Raiders their lone point of the evening.

At the No. 2 spot, Zito battled with South Carolina's Kyle Koch the entire match, but fell just short, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, as the Gamecocks clinched the match. In a match filled with runs of momentum by both players, Zito was forced to come from behind several times during the match, including a 1-3 deficit in the third set.

Riethmueller's match went unfinished due to the match being called midway through his second set. However, as he took the court and saw the opportunity for a comeback, he played hard and made seemingly every shot to take the first set 6-0 before his match was called at 4-all in the second.

Issa's match went in a similar fashion. After a dominant 6-3 first set win, his second set was deemed unfinished at 3-all in his second set.

Next weekend, the Blue Raiders will be busy on the courts, facing Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 1 p.m. along with a Sunday double-header featuring matches against Morehead State at 12 p.m. and Tennessee State at 6 p.m.

Live stats will be available for all of those matches, and updates will also be given via Twitter by following @MT_MensTennis.

#23 South Carolina 4, Middle Tennessee 1
Singles competition
1. Ben Davis (MT) def. Andrew Adams (USC) 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-4
2. Kyle Koch (USC) def. Ettore Zito (MT) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
3. #103 Andrew Schafer (USC) def. Dima Zyhmantovich (MT) 6-2, 6-2
4. #120 Harrison O'Keefe (USC) def. Victor Hoang (MT) 6-2, 6-3
5. Gian Issa (MT) vs. Sam Swank (USC) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
6. Robin Riethmueller (MT) vs. Thomas Mayronne (USC) 6-0, 4-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Ben Davis/Victor Hoang (MT) def. #46 Thomas Mayronne/Harrison O'Keefe (USC) 8-3
2. Andrew Adams/Kyle Koch (USC) def. Yannick Born/Gian Issa (MT) 8-6
3. Andrew Schafer/Sam Swank (USC) def. Robin Riethmueller/Dima Zyhmantovich (MT) 8-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (,4,3,2)