2015-16 PBC Yearbook | Page 56

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Y E A R S

PBC YEARBOOK

2016 Men’ s Tennis All-Conference Team
First Team Singles Richard Ashforth, Francis Marion Chris Devoize, Lander Kevin Gonzalez, Flagler Pablo Gor Costales, Armstrong State Yannick Hass, Georgia College Otakar Lucak, Armstrong State
First Team Doubles Kevin Gonzalez and Lukas Storck, Flagler Pablo Gor Costales and Ignacio Hernandez, Armstrong State Christian Graff and Yannick Hass, Georgia College
Second Team Singles Ettore Damiani, USC Aiken Marc Hofer, Lander Loic Minery, Lander Phillip Mueller, North Georgia Kiranpal Pannu, Columbus State Julien Tan, USC Aiken
Second Team Doubles Marco Almorin and Maciej Kierkus, Columbus State Richard Ashforth and Philipp Sluga, Francis Marion Ettore Damiani and Julien Tan, USC Aiken Marc Hofer and Loic Minery, Lander
Player of the Year Pablo Gor Costales, Armstrong State
of the Southeast Regional with play beginning this Saturday, May 7.
No. 2-ranked Armstrong State( 22-2) will begin action in the regional by taking on the winner of eighth-seed Queens( NC)( 14-3), the South Atlantic Conference champion, and ninth-seeded Mount Olive( 15-5), the Conference Carolinas champion, who play on Saturday, May 7, in a Noon first-round match. The winner faces the Pirates on Sunday, May 8, at 2:00 p. m., while the other Sunday match pits fourth-seeded Georgia College( 15-8) and fifth-seeded North Georgia( 17-7), two Peach Belt schools, in another 2:00 p. m. tilt.
The 10th-ranked Cougars are making their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and their ninth straight posting a 17-5 record this season. CSU received an at-large bid after falling to third-ranked Armstrong State in the PBC final. After traveling for last year’ s regional, Columbus State is back as a regional host. The Cougars hosted for five consecutive seasons prior to last year.
CSU will match up against seventh-seeded USC Aiken( 12-9) in the opening round at 9 a. m. on Saturday at the Blackmon Tennis Center. The Cougars defeated the Pacers 6-3 on February 21 in Aiken, S. C. USCA tied for seventh in the PBC this season.
No. 4 Lander men’ s tennis falls to No. 3 Hawaii Pacific, 5-1, in NCAA’ s Round of 16
DENVER, Colo.- The No. 4-ranked Lander men’ s tennis team’ s quest for its 13th national championship came to an end Wednesday after the Bearcats fell to No. 3 Hawaii Pacific, 5-1, in the NCAA Division II Round of 16 at the Gates Tennis Center.
Lander ends the season at 19-6, while Hawaii Pacific improves to 18-3 and advances to Thursday’ s quarterfinal round.
Hawaii Pacific took a 2-1 lead in doubles after the nationally No. 3-ranked team of Thibaud Berland / Alexander Meyer downed Lander’ s No. 8 team of Marc Hofer / Loic Minery, 8-5, at the No. 1 slot, and Torben Otto / Jakub Hadrava defeated Lander’ s Charles Baron / Alexander Regner, 8-4, at No. 3.
Lander’ s lone doubles point came at No. 2 when Chris Devoize / David Korsten defeated Filip Delezel / Jamie Martinez-Vich, 8-6.
HPU earned the win in the singles competition after top-ranked Thibaud Berland downed Lander’ s No. 10 Chris Devoize, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1, No. 20 Jaime Martinez-Vich defeated No. 33 Loic Minery, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 3, and Clemens Graute beat Alexandre Springer, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 6. Because Hawaii Pacific had the need points for the win, the remainder of the matches went unfinished.

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Freshman of the Year Kiranpal Pannu, Columbus State
co-Coaches of the Year Sean McCaffrey, Armstrong State Kent Norsworthy, North Georgia
No. 2 Men’ s Tennis Falls In NCAA Semifinals To No. 1 Saint Leo, 5-2
DENVER, Colo.- The No. 2-ranked Armstrong State University men’ s tennis team saw its season end in the NCAA Division II Semifinals with a 5-2 loss to top-ranked Saint Leo University on Friday afternoon at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo.
The Pirates( 26-3) could not exact revenge on the only DII team that handed them a loss this season- Saint Leo( 27-1) won two of three doubles points and then three singles points to advance to the national championship match on Saturday against Hawaii Pacific. It was also the third straight year that Armstrong Sate has fallen in the semifinals to the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, after losing to Hawaii Pacific in 2015 and West Florida in 2014.
Armstrong State won a quick doubles point to take a 1-0 lead as No. 12-ranked Pablo Gor Costales and Ignacio Hernandez beat No. 20-ranked Jaime Bueno and Egor Panyushkin, 8-1, at No. 1 doubles. The Pirates were on serve in the other two doubles matches but

2015-16