April 17, 2006
Belmont Men's Tennis Wins the Atlantic Sun Championship
Team NCAA Tournament Bound
The Belmont men’s tennis team (7-8) captured their first Atlantic Sun Conference title as they defeated #2 seed Stetson 4-2 in the championship match held Saturday morning in Macon, Georgia. The win also earns Belmont a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins got off to a quick start taking the doubles’ point as Felipe Lima and Felipe Abreu took down Mario Alberto Cayo and Birger Soiland at number three. At #2, Ignacio Gesto and Alex Gillott defeated Joey Jones and Trevor Bach to clinch the point.
In singles’ play, Belmont extended its lead to 3-0 with wins at number three and six. Fausto Rocha won at #3 with a 6-1, 7-6 win over Joey Jones, while teammate Felipe Abreu defeated Peter Dzuba at #6 6-1, 6-4. Stetson’s Marcus Echtler (#1) registered a win keeping the Hatters alive and Birger Soiland defeated Gesto at #5, trimming the lead to 3-2.
With two matches remaining, Stetson still had hopes of springing a comeback win, but Belmont’s Javier Rodriguez recorded a three-set win over Cayo giving the Bruins its first A-Sun championship.
“What a great day to be a Belmont Bruin,” said Jim Madrigal, Belmont head coach. “These guys played hard throughout this tournament and their hard work was rewarded today with this championship. I am just so proud of this team right now.”
Next up for the Bruins is a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They will find out who and where they will play when the NCAA announces the tournament field on Thursday, May 4.
For more information on this year’s men’s tennis championship, go to the Atlantic Sun website at www.atlanticsun.org.
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