Men's Tennis 3/24/2017 9:11:00 PM

LION TENNIS FALLS TO RANKED VSU TEAMS

PENSACOLA, Fla., – Valdosta State's nationally-ranked men's and women's tennis teams each picked up a neutral-court victory over the University of North Alabama on Friday. The UNA women lost a 9-0 decision while VSU was able to rally for a 6-3 win on the men's side.

The UNA men lost after taking a 2-1 lead following doubles play over the seventh-ranked Blazers. VSU took a 1-0 lead before the Lions won two straight. Miguel Garcia and Taylor Ausbon broke open a tight battle at No. 3 doubles and won 8-4 to even the match. UNA took the lead when Max Druppel and Benjamin Poire won a tight 8-5 contest at the top doubles spot.

Valdosta State quickly took control of the singles matches to regain the lead. The Blazers clinched the match by winning five of the six matches. Poire was the lone bright spot for the Lions, winning a thriller 7-6, 0-6, 10-4 at No. 3 singles.

"Valdosta State showed why it is one of the best teams in the nation," said UNA head tennis coach Brice Bishop. "We had a great start. We did exactly what we talked about by starting fast."

The 10^th-ranked VSU women were able to win a pair of close doubles matches before carrying the momentum into singles play for a 9-0 sweep.
After taking an easy 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles, the Blazers trailed in the other two doubles contests. UNA lead 7-1 at No. 3 before Valdosta mounted a comeback. The Lions also had a 6-5 lead at No. 1 doubles before falling.

With a 3-0 lead, VSU quickly clinched the match by winning all six singles.

"One moment it looked as if we would go up 2-1 and then we looked up from a 3-0 hole," said Bishop. "We just didn't do a good job putting them away and they took advantage of the momentum and finished us off."

Both UNA tennis teams will remain in Pensacola to face Florida Tech on Saturday. The South Region contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the UWF Tennis Complex.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Ausbon: Junior

Max Druppel: Senior

Miguel Garcia: Junior

Benjamin Poire: Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Taylor Ausbon
: Junior

Max Druppel
: Senior

Miguel Garcia
: Junior

Benjamin Poire
: Graduate Student