ROCK HILL, S.C. - Lincoln Memorial University swept the doubles points to gain an early lead and held off the No. 2-seeded Anderson men's tennis team, 5-3, Friday afternoon to advance to the finals of the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Championship on Saturday at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.
Anderson, the defending tourney champions, slipped to 11-8 on the season and will await word of a possible NCAA play-off berth. Lincoln Memorial improved to 18-3 and avenged an earlier 6-3 regular-season setback to AU.
The Railsplitters swept the doubles' points, as LMU's Philipp Hoffmann and Tom Goossens eased past the Anderson tandem of Stan Atema and Daniel Gonzalez, 8-2, at No. 1 doubles, while Will Sparks and Marcelo Alvim edged Krystof Gulbinovic and Deni Mehagic, 8-6, at No. 2. LMU's Alexey Minevskiy and Michael Koenen completed the sweep with an 8-5 win at third doubles over Loic Ambroise and Trey Halbauer.
In singles' action, Ambroise earned a straight-set 6-0, 6-2 victory over Goossens at the No. 5 slot, while Hoffmann held off Atema, 6-4, 6-4 at first singles to give LMU an 4-1 lead. After Hoffmann's triumph, Mehagic defeated Alvim 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 at No. 3 and teammate Trey Halbauer topped LMU's Michael Koenen 6-0, 6-3 at the number six flight, cutting the Trojan deficit to 4-3 and setting the stage for LMU's Sparks' to rally for a deciding 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 2.
Tennis Match Results
Lincoln Memorial vs Anderson University
Apr 20, 2012 at Rock Hill, S.C.
(Rock Hill Tennis Center)
Lincoln Memorial 5, Anderson University 3
Singles competition
1. Philipp Hoffmann (LMU) def. Stan Atema (AU-M) 6-4, 6-4
2. Will Sparks (LMU) def. Krystof Gulbinovic (AU-M) 4-6, 6-1,
7-5
3. Deni Mehagic (AU-M) def. Marcelo Alvim (LMU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
4. Daniel Gonzalez (AU-M) vs. Alexey Minevskiy (LMU) 6-3, 2-6, 3-1,
unfinished
5. Loic Ambroise (AU-M) def. Tom Goossens (LMU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Trey Halbauer (AU-M) def. Michael Koenen (LMU) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Philipp Hoffmann/Tom Goossens (LMU) def. Stan Atema/Daniel
Gonzalez (AU-M) 8-2
2. Will Sparks/Marcelo Alvim (LMU) def. Krystof Gulbinovic/Deni
Mehagic (AU-M) 8-6
3. Alexey Minevskiy/Michael Koenen (LMU) def. Loic Ambroise/Trey
Halbauer (AU-M) 8-5
Match Notes:
Lincoln Memorial 18-3
Anderson University 11-8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,1,3,6,2)
2012 Food Lion SAC men's tennis championship match is Sat., April
21 (12 noon)
Lincoln Memorial will face Wingate in Saturday's Food Lion SAC
title match
T-3:34
