Railsplitters Fall To Wingate University In 2012 Food Lion SAC Tennis Championship Match
April 21, 2012
ROCK HILL, SC -- The Lincoln Memorial University men's tennis team saw their run in the 2012 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tennis Championship come to a close, as they were downed 5-1 by the Wingate University Bulldogs in the Championship Match on Saturday afternoon at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.
With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 18-6 overall and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Southeast Region tournament. The Railsplitters currently sit at 18-4 overall and they will await the selection for the regional tournament in anticipation for an at-large bid.
LMU took an early lead by winning the opening match in doubles play, as Will Sparks and Marcelo Alvim defeated Drew Owen and Matt Lichtenstein, 8-6, in the second flight.
The final two doubles events went in favor of the Bulldogs. Flavio Rathsam and Neal Towlson claimed a 9-7 victory over Philipp Hoffmann and Tom Goossens in the first flight while the pairing of Ryan Forbes and Diego Martinez took an 8-5 victory over Alexey Minevskiy and Michael Koenen in the third spot to give Wingate University early sway.
Holding a 2-1 lead, the match went into singles play. Neal Towlson pushed the deficit with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Tom Goossens in the fifth flight. Shortly after, Will Sparks was handed a 6-1, 6-1 loss in the No. 2 spot by Drew Owen.
The Bulldogs concluded the match in the third position, as Matt Lichtenstein claimed the victory and the 2012 SAC crown with a 6-1, 6-0 over Marcelo Alvim.
In the unfinished matches, Flavio Rathsam was holding a 6-2, 3-4 lead over Philipp Hoffmann in the top singles flight. Diego Martinez held a 6-2, 4-1 advantage over Alexey Minevskiy in the fourth slot and Michael Koenen took the first set over Ryan Forbes in the sixth spot before the match came to a close.
The win would have given the Railsplitters their second South Atlantic Conference Championship in three years, as they took the title over Wingate University in 2010. The loss snaps an eleven-match winning streak for the Railsplitters.
