VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 19 Valdosta State men's tennis team won all six singles matches to defeat Embry-Riddle Friday afternoon at the VSU Tennis Complex. VSU improved to 4-2 on the year, while ERAU fell to 4-1.
The Eagles took the doubles point as No. 22 duo of Juan Ortiz Couder and Andres Donayre upset No. 8 tandem of senior
Yohan Nguyen and junior
Florian Simbozel, 6-3. VSU the tied the doubles as sophomore
Robert Cizek and junior
Adam Kalivoda won at No. 3, 6-1. ERAU's Alexis Guedy and Lucas Bos downed VSU freshman duo of
Luca Mack and
Edward Etty, 6-4, to take the team point.
Three of the six singles matches went to the third set, but Etty tied the match with a quick win over Bos at No. 4 singles, 6-3, 6-1. Nguyen, ranked No. 7 nationally, made quick work of Ortiz Couder at No. 1 for a 6-3, 6-4 win for a 2-1 Blazer lead. Simbozel won at No. 2 over No. 33 Donayre, using a 7-6 win in the first set, then lost 6-3 in the second and won 6-1 in the third for a 3-1 lead.
Cizek got back on the winning track in singles at No. 5 as he battled back from 6-4 loss in the opening set for a 6-4 win in the second set and won 6-2 in the third to clinch the match versus Fernando Alonso. Kalivoda won in three sets, at No. 6 over Tim Loerwink, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, while Mack won at No. 3 in a super tiebreaker.
The Blazers continue at home on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus No. 10 Lynn, while they then will return to league play against Auburn Montgomery on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Blazers then conclude the season-opening homestand on Mar. 7 at 10 a.m. versus Lee.