Battling Bishops win USA South Tournament, receive NCAA bid

Burlington, NC - North Carolina Wesleyan's top-seeded men's tennis team won the 2009 USA South  Tournament Championship on Sunday with a 5-4 victory over 3rd-seeded Averett. With the victory, the Bishops, who are currently ranked 22nd in the nation, earned the program's first-ever Conference Tournament title and now boast a perfect 14-0 record on the season heading into the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan received two doubles victories and three singles victories to earn the match win.

In doubles play, tournament Most Valuable Player Antti Saari teamed with freshman Alexey Rumyantsev for an 8-4 victory at the top seed. Averett was able to secure an 8-6 win at the #2 seed before NCWC's Anton Filonov and Ilpo Kautonen secured a thrilling 9-7 tiebreak victory at the third slot.

With NCWC holding to a 2-1 lead, Filonov cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory at #5 to kick off singles play, and Saari's three-set win at the top slot gave the Bishops a 4-2 advantage. The Cougars battled back to tie the match at 4-4 with victories at #2 and #4, but Wesleyan's Fred Lemongo sealed the championship with a 6-4, 6-3 win at #6.

For their efforts, Filonov and Lemongo joined Saari on the All-Tournament team.
 

Return to Men's Tennis Main