UWA men’s tennis wins 15th straight
Published 9:19 am Monday, April 15, 2013
LIVINGSTON – The University of West Alabama men’s tennis team closed its regular season on a 15-match winning streak, shutting out Mississippi College, 9-0, Saturday at the Vaughn Tennis Complex.
The Tigers carry a 21-2 record and the No. 3 seed into the Gulf South Conference Tournament Saturday at the Olean Black Underwood Tennis Center on the Alabama State campus in Montgomery. UWA will play No. 6 North Alabama at 11 a.m. in the quarterfinal round.
“It was a great day for UWA tennis,” head coach Glen Fanelli said. “Both the men’s and women’s teams are heading into the conference tournament with some momentum and positive energy.”
After sweeping the doubles competition, West Alabama won all six singles matches in straight sets, highlighted by Sim Bardell’s 6-0, 6-0 win over Andrew Tisdale at No. 6. Bardell finished the spring season undefeated at 20-0.
Kike Ruiz also picked up his 20th win of the season by beating Dudley Lampton 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4 and Anton Ivanov earned his 100th career victory at UWA by downing Jacob Womack 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 2 singles match.
Nestor Vargas took care of Christian Branning 6-4, 6-2 in No. 1 singles, Honorio Fernandez beat Matthew Martin 6-0, 6-0 in No. 3 and Adam Drysdale was a 6-2, 6-3 winner of Taylor Griffith at No. 5 singles.
Ivanov and Drysdale beat Martin and Lampton, 8-5, in No. 1 doubles, while Vargas and Ruiz defeated Womack and Griffin in No. 2 doubles, 8-3. Fernandez and Manuel Grossmann capped off a doubles sweep with an 8-1 decision over Branning and Andrew Tisdale.