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GREENVILE, N.C. – The Kennesaw State men's tennis team turned in a completed team effort in defeating Longwood, 6-1, and handing first-year head coach Eduardo Rincon his first collegiate victory Saturday at the East Carolina Tennis Complex in Greenville, N.C.
 
"I am extremely pleased with the performance of the team today," Rincon said. "We received solid play throughout the lineup and our guys competed hard and focused on the details. It was a complete team win."
 
The Owls (1-1) won the doubles point as David Durham and Jorge Wilton teamed up to defeat Warren Bryan and Steed Johnson at No. 2 doubles, 6-1, while the No. 3 duo of Alexander Pena and Jake Bouchillon clinched the match with a 6-1 win over James Fudge and Bharani Sankar.
 
Longwood (0-2) posted its lone victory at No. 1 doubles as Daniel Elson and Edward Becker defeated Simon Pritchard and Louis Theodore, 6-2.
 
Capitalizing on the momentum from winning the doubles point, Kennesaw State quickly took command of the match as Wilton and Louis Theodor recorded wins at No. 3 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Wilton blanked Johnson, 6-0, 6-0, while Theodor topped Becker, 6-4, 6-2.
 
"I give a lot of credit to Louis today.  He is not physically 100 percent as he's battling a cold but didn't think twice about competing. As soon as the match started he was ready to battle," Rincon said. "Jorge was also impressive.  He has improved the most since the fall and has made a huge jump since our first tournament.  He has also taken a leadership role and is a great asset to this team," Rincon added.
 
With the focus now at No. 1 singles, Pritchard rallied back a 5-2 deficit in the first set to pull out a 6-5 (4) win before clinching the match and an Owls' victory with a 6-5 (5) second-set victory.
 
"This win is going to give Simon a tremendous amount of confidence," Rincon said. "Every team we play will have a very good No. 1, and for a freshman like Simon to get this kind of experience is phenomenal."
  
Pena and Durham also picked up victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Pena defeated Higgs, 6-2, 6-3, while Durham recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sankar.
 
Kennesaw State returns to action on Sunday when it faces East Carolina at 11 a.m. (ET) at the ECU Tennis Complex.
 
NCAA Division I Men's Tennis
January 25, 2014
Kennesaw State vs. Longwood
East Carolina Tennis Complex; Greenville, N.C.
 
Kennesaw State 6, Longwood 1
 
Doubles
No. 1: Daniel Elston/Edward Becker (LU) def. Simon Pritchard/Louis Theodore (KSU); 6-2
No. 2: David Durham/Jorge Wilton (KSU) def. Warren Bryan/ Steed Johnson (LU); 6-1
No. 3: Alex Pena/Jake Bouchillon (KSU) def. James Fudge/ Bharani Sankar (LU); 6-1
 
Singles
No. 1: Simon Pritchard (KSU) def Daniel Elston (LU); 6-5 (4), 6-5 (5)
No. 2: Louis Theodor (KSU) def. Edward Becker (LU); 6-4, 6-2
No. 3: Jorge Wilton (KSU) def. Steed Johnson (LU); 6-0, 6-0
No. 4: Warren Bryan (LU) def. Jake Bouchillon (KSU) 5-6 (5), 6-3, 10-7
No. 5: Alex Pena (KSU) def. Justin Higgs (LU); 6-2, 6-3
No. 6: David Durham (KSU) def. Bharani Sankar (LU); 6-4, 6-4
 
Order of Finish: Doubles: No. 3, No. 1, No. 2 ; Singles: No. 3, No. 2, No. 1*, No. 5, No. 4, No. 6
Records: Kennesaw State (1-1), Longwood (0-2)

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