CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College men's tennis team rallied from a 3-0 deficit to knock off visiting UNC Asheville in a Big South Conference match on Tuesday, 4-3.
PC improves to 16-9 overall and 3-3 in the Big South while UNC Asheville slips to 9-7 on the year and 3-4 in league action. The Blue Hose next host Campbell on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Asheville plays at Gardner-Webb on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Asheville won the doubles point and took singles matches at the top two flights before the Blue Hose rallied for four straight victories. With the match tied at 3-3, Rafael Berghaus (Offenbach, Germany) knocked off John Schubel at the fifth flight to clinch the dual match, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
The rally began at No. 6 when Gonzalo Asis (Madrid, Spain) handed Brett Landau a 6-3, 7-5 defeat. The win marked Asis's 18th win of the season and 10th singles victory in a row.
Andrew Brigham (Birmingham, England) followed at the fourth flight by handling Alex Croker in a 6-0, 7-6 verdict to pull PC within one, 3-2.
Danny Bruce (Marietta, Ga.) then grabbed his 16th win of the year by rolling past Daniel Kripak at the third flight, 6-3, 6-4. The verdict set up Berghaus's crucial three-set winner as the match stood tied, 3-3.
PC delivered two close doubles matches before losing the hard-fought point. Brigham and William O'Connell nearly knocked off Matt Waissen and Adrien Langeard at the top flight, 9-7, while Grayson Mills (Lilburn, Ga.) and Berghaus fell just short to Kripak and Schubel, 9-8.
Singles competition
1. LANGEARD, Adrien (ASHM) def. MILLS, Grayson (PCM) 6-4, 6-1
2. WAISSEN, Matt (ASHM) def. O'CONNELL, William (PCM) 6-0, 7-6
3. BRUCE, Danny (PCM) def. KRIPAK, Daniel (ASHM) 6-3, 6-4
4. BRIGHAM, Andrew (PCM) def. CROKER, Alex (ASHM) 6-0, 7-6
5. BERGHAUS, Rafael (PCM) def. SCHUBEL, John (ASHM) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
6. ASIS, Gonzalo (PCM) def. LANDAU, Brett (ASHM) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. WAISSEN, Matt/LANGEARD, Adrien (ASHM) def. BRIGHAM, Andrew/O'CONNELL, William (PCM) 9-7
2. KRIPAK, Daniel/SCHUBEL, John (ASHM) def. BERGHAUS, Rafael/MILLS, Grayson (PCM) 9-8
3. LANDAU, Brett/CROKER, Alex (ASHM) def. BRUCE, Danny/SNEAD, Edward (PCM) 8-3
