MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Kennesaw State men's tennis' season came to a close with a 4-2 loss to No. 5 seed Delaware on Friday morning at Middle Tennessee's Adams Tennis Complex.
"Despite the result today, I'm so proud of this team and what they've achieved this season," said KSU associate head coach
Simon Pritchard.
The 4
th-seeded Owls fell behind early with doubles defeats on courts two and three.
Kyvan Rietkerk and
Erik Vladimirov took a 6-1 loss to Federico Garbero and Itamar Tapiro on two. The Fightin' Blue Hens then clinched doubles with a 6-4 defeat of
Xavi Ferrer and
Ben Hudson on three.
Nathan Walters and
Leon Peranovic put KSU on the board with straight-set singles wins on courts four and two, respectively.
Walters won his team-leading 16
th match of the season 6-0, 6-3 over UD's Luke Tollenaar. A true freshman from Cirona, Spain, Walters finishes his inaugural collegiate campaign 16-3 overall, including 2-0 on line three, 4-0 on four and 10-3 on five with wins in eight of his last nine.
Peranovic gave KSU a 2-1 lead with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Euan Mackenzie. Another ascending freshman for the Owls, Peranovic wraps his first season at 12-6 in singles, including 7-3 on line two and 5-2 on three.
Courts three, five and six would not go KSU's way. UD's Garbero beat
Dominic Ducariu 6-4, 6-2 on three, while Tapiro overcame Vladimirov 6-3, 7-5 on five. The Blue Hens clinched the match with Pere Prat's 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 court-six win over Ferrer.
"Thank you to Anthony [Weingarten] for everything he's done for this program," Pritchard said. "Anthony's leadership played a major role in the success of our underclassmen this season. "The core of this team is back next year, and I am very excited to see what we can do!"
The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.
