CLEMSON, S.C. – Freshman Ben Kelley (Weaverville, N.C.) picked up a singles win and doubles victory with fellow newcomer Ryan Miller (Norcross, Ga.), but the Presbyterian College men's tennis team dropped its spring season opener at No. 23 Clemson on Sunday afternoon, 6-1.
PC opens the spring at 0-1 and stands at 2-1 after fall victories over Coker and North Greenville. The Blue Hose return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader at The Citadel. Clemson improves to 2-0 after blanking Furman on Friday.
Kelley captured his first collegiate Division I victory in thrilling fashion over the Tigers' Brent Lett at No. 6 singles. With the dual match result already decided, Kelley took the first set, 6-1, before Lett bested him in the second with a 6-5 decision. The two headed to a tiebreaker and Kelley toughed out the victory, 12-10.
In doubles play, Miller and Kelley handed Luke Johnson and Austin Ansari 6-3 defeat at the second flight.
The Blue Hose put up three different three-set battles in singles action. At the top flight, Grayson Mills (Lilburn, Ga.) came up short in a nail-biter to Alejandro Augusto, 4-6, 6-3, 6-5. At No. 2, Austin Ansari used a tight second set to squeeze past Rafael Berghaus (Offenbach, Germany), 6-1, 5-6, 6-3.
Gonzalo Asis (Madrid, Spain) took a set from Luke Johnson at the fifth flight before falling to the Tiger, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
In other singles play, Joel Roberts (Summerville, S.C.) squared off against Johnson at the third flight and suffered a 6-2, 6-5 setback. Freshman Diego Manzanas (Madrid, Spain) fell to Fernando Sanchez at No. 5 singles by a 6-3, 6-2 margin.
The pair of Mills and Berghaus along with Asis and Roberts fell at the first and third flights, respectively, by 6-3 and 6-1 decisions.
Clemson 6, Presbyterian 1
Singles
1. Alejandro Augusto (CU) Grayson Mills (PC) 4-6, 6-3, 6-5
2. Austin Ansari (CU) d. Rafael Berghaus (PC) 6-1, 5-6, 6-3
3. Luke Johnson (CU) d. Joel Roberts (PC) 6-2, 6-5
4. Robert Dudley (CU) d. Gonzalos Asis (PC) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
5. Fernando Sanchez (CU) d. Diego Manzanas (PC) 6-3, 6-2
6. Ben Kelley (PC) d. Brent Lett (CU) 6-1, 5-6, 1-0 (12-10)
Doubles
1. Augusto/Dudley (CU) d. Mills/Berghaus (PC) 6-3
2. Ryan Miller/Ben Kelley (PC) d. Johnson/Ansari (CU) 6-3
3. Zachary Kennedy/Daniel Strawn (CU) d. Asis/Roberts (PC) 6-1
