COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Presbyterian College men's tennis team fell to 50th-ranked South Carolina, 7-0, on Saturday at the USC Fieldhouse in Columbia, S.C. The Blue Hose fall to 0-2 in the early season, while South Carolina goes to 1-0 with the season-opening win.
The Gamecocks claimed the doubles point with a sweep of the three matches. Alex Fennell and Thomas Mayronne defeated Joel Roberts and Ben Kelley, 6-2, at flight one. Brandon Mills and Danny Bruce played within a game of Harrison O'Keefe and Sam Swank, cutting the match to 5-4 late before falling 6-4 at flight two. Diego Manzanas and Alexander Lykou pulled to a 2-2 tie early in the match at flight three but South Carolina's Yancy Dennis and Wood Benton rallied from there to take it 6-2.
South Carolina came out strong in singles play in their first match of the season. Bruce fell to Fennell at flight one, 6-0, 6-2, while Lykou fell to O'Keefe, ranked 65th nationally, at flight two, 6-2, 6-0. Bejar fell to Andrew Schafer at flight three and Manzanas was able to take three games from SC's Mayronne but fell, 6-1, 6-2.
At flight five, Roberts led Swank 3-2 in set one and led twice in set two at 2-1 and 4-3 but dropped the match, 6-3, 6-4. In the final match of the day to finish, Kelley fell to Benton at flight six, 6-0, 6-2, despite battling back from a 4-0 deficit in the second set.
The Blue Hose return to action on Friday, January 29, when they travel to Furman at 3 p.m.
South Carolina 7, Presbyterian 0
Singles
1. No. 116 Alex Fennell (SC) def. Danny Bruce (PC), 6-0, 6-2
2. No. 65 Harrison O'Keefe (SC) def. Alexander Lykou (PC), 6-2, 6-0
3. Andrew Schafer (SC) def. Alejandro Bejar (PC), 6-0, 6-0
4. Thomas Mayronne (SC) def. Diego Manzanas (PC), 6-1, 6-2
5. Sam Swank (SC) def. Joel Roberts (PC), 6-3, 6-4
6. Wood Benton (SC) def. Ben Kelley (PC), 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*, 4, 5, 6
Doubles
1. Alex Fennell/Thomas Mayronne (SC) def. Joel Roberts/Ben Kelley (PC), 6-2
2. Harrison O'Keefe/Sam Swank (SC) def. Brandon Mills/Danny Bruce (PC), 6-4
3. Yancy Dennis/Wood Benton (SC) def. Diego Manzanas/Alexander Lykou (PC), 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
