West Liberty University Athletics

Tough Loss for WLU Men in NCAA Tennis

Men's Tennis | 4/29/2017 10:41:00 PM

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The West Liberty University men's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision to West Virginia Wesleyan here Saturday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament hosted by Chowan University at the Rose Family Tennis Complex.
Coach Sam McCullough's No. 6-seeded Hilltoppers (13-7) battled the No. 3 seed Bobcats (17-6) to the wire in the hotly-contested match only to see a sterling comeback effort fall just short.
West Liberty jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Baptiste Perrin and Santiago Gutierrez rolled to an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles but Wesleyan rebounded with wins in the other two doubles matches to take a 2-1 lead into singles play.
The Hilltoppers' Matt Tully tied the match at 2-2 with a straight-set win against the Bobcats' Ferran Berga at No. 5 singles but Wesleyan went back on top minutes later when Alex Lyudinovskiy finished off a 6-1 7-5 win against WLU's Andy Ponder at No. 3 singles.
The Bobcats pushed the margin to 4-2 when Nathan Sabate came from behind to claim a three-set win against Perrin at No. 1 singles but West Liberty wasn't finished yet.
Camilo Moncayo kept WLU's hopes alive by gutting out a 6-4 win in the third set of his No. 4 singles match with Jacobo Rendon and Gutierrez pulled the Black and Gold into a 4-4 tie by coming from behind for a three-set win against Ramon Rodriquez at No. 2 singles.
The match was finally decided by the result at No. 6 singles where the Hilltoppers' Pablo Cimorra and the Bobcats' Thomas McIntosh traded 6-3 wins in the first two sets before McIntosh outlasted Cimorra for a 6-3 nod in the third and decisive set.
Wesleyan returns to the Rose Family Tennis Complex Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on No. 2 seed and host Chowan for a berth in next month's NCAA Division II national championship tournament.

MEN'S TENNIS
NCAA Division II
Atlantic Regional II
Semifinal
(at Murfreesboro, N.C.)
#3 W.Va. Wesleyan 5, #6 West Liberty 4
Singles
Nathan Sabate (WVW) d. Baptiste Perrin, 3-6 6-2 6-2
Santiago Gutierrez (WLU) d. Ramon Rodriquez, 5-7 6-3 7-5
Alex Lyudinovskiy (WVW) d. Andy Ponder, 6-1 7-5
Camilo Moncayo (WLU) d. Jacobo Rendon, 6-3 2-6 6-4
Matt Tully (WLU) d. Ferran Berga, 6-3 7-5
Thomas McIntosh (WVW) d. Pablo Cimorra, 6-3 3-6 6-3
Doubles
Perrin/Gutierrez (WLU) d. Sabate/Lyudinovskiy, 8-3
Rodriguez/Pedro Nassar (WVW) d. Tully/Luke Flanagan, 8-5
Rendon/Berga (WVW) d. Cimorra/Moncayo, 9-7

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Players Mentioned

Pablo Cimorra: 5' 10"; Senior

Luke Flanagan: 6' 1"; Junior

Santiago Gutierrez: 6' 1"; Senior

Baptiste Perrin: 6' 3"; Senior

Matt Tully: 6' 0"; Senior

Camilo Moncayo: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Pablo Cimorra
: 5' 10"; Senior

Luke Flanagan
: 6' 1"; Junior

Santiago Gutierrez
: 6' 1"; Senior

Baptiste Perrin
: 6' 3"; Senior

Matt Tully
: 6' 0"; Senior

Camilo Moncayo
: 5' 8"; Sophomore