Saturday, April 16, 2011

DeLAND, Fla. –Four-time defending Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Tennis Championship champion ETSU advanced to its fifth straight A-Sun final with a 4-1 win against third-seeded Campbell in Friday night’s semifinal match at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. The Buccaneers dropped the doubles point but roared back with four straight-set singles wins to put the Camels away.

David Clavera and A-Sun Freshman of the Year Fernando Guillen teamed up for an 8-4 doubles win on Court 1; A-Sun Player of the Year Davy Sum and Ondrej Kralik did likewise on Court 3 to give Campbell (17-5) a 1-0 lead in the match headed into singles.

Regular season co-champion ETSU (16-6) showed its traditional strong form in singles, winning four matches in efficient fashion. Sander Gille got the ball rolling for the second-seeded Bucs with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Larbi Lamzouri on Court 2 while Roger Ordeig continued the Buccaneer roll by blanking Kralik 6-0, 6-0 on Court 6. Charles Bottoni dropped Clavera 6-1, 6-3 on Court 4 before Juan Ramirez finished off the night with a 6-3, 6-3 Court 5 victory against Josep Baro.

ETSU faces fourth-seeded tournament host Stetson with the A-Sun title on the line for the fifth consecutive season. The Bucs have won all four of the previous showdowns against the Hatters – twice by a 4-2 margin (2009 and 2010) and twice by the score of 4-0 (2007 and 2008). That match is slated to begin at 1 p.m. following the conclusion of the ETSU-UNF women’s championship match.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.