March 24, 2009
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
KENNESAW, Ga. - The red hot USC Upstate men's tennis team was too much to handle for the Owls on Tuesday, as the Spartans handed Kennesaw State their third-straight loss after taking a 6-1 decision at the KSU Tennis Complex.
The win was No. 72 Upstate's 15th-straight, moving their overall record to 17-2 and their conference record to a perfect 5-0. The Owls dropped to 4-9 on the season and were denied their first-ever A-Sun win, falling to 0-4 versus the conference.
"The men have continued to show improvement and have held their heads high in losses against some tough opponents this season," said Kennesaw State Head Coach Brandon Padgett. "If we continue to play with confidence, we will be able to notch our first conference before this spring is over."
The young Owls squad was solid in the loss, pushing three of six singles matches to a third set, including a victory by Denis Sergeychik at No. 6. Sergeychik prevented the Spartans from sweeping the match after coming back for a 2-6, 6-4, 10-3 win over Ignacio Velez. The win was the sophomore from Moscow's second collegiate win, and the second time Sergeychik has come back from down a set to earn a victory.
Lawrence Washington Jr. and Andrew Suesserman also pushed their respective opponents to three sets. Washington fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to Renzo Airaldi at No. 2, while Suesserman let Leandro Osorio come back from down a set for a 2-6, 7-6, 10-1 win at No. 5.
Michael Langel and Tyler Mills made the Owls most serious push for a doubles win, going to an extra frame at No. 1 with Javier Tori and Airaldi before losing 9-7.
The men will next travel south in search of a win at in-state rival Georgia State on Thursday. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. A recap of the action and results will be available following the conclusion of play.
USC Upstate 6
Kennesaw State 1
Doubles Results
1. Tori/Airaldi def. Mills/Langel (KSU) 9-7
2. Osorio/Jack Roux def. Washington/Bouttell 8-2
3. Blanco/Rodriguez def. Justin Suesserman/Dylan Higgins 8-3
Singles Results
1. Edgar Rodriguez def. Tyler Mills 6-2, 6-4
2. Renzo Airaldi def. Lawrence Washington Jr. 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
3. Javier Tori def. Michael Langel 6-3, 6-4
4. Ramiro Blanco def. Ryan Bouttell 6-4, 6-2
5. Leandro Osorio def. Andrew Suesserman 2-6, 7-6, 10-1
6. Denis Sergeychik def. Ignacio Velez 2-6, 6-4, 10-3v
