Wildcat tennis advances to Southland title match

Friday, April 26

Corpus Christi, Texas

10 a.m.

Abilene Christian

Nicholls

Photo by: Tracy Weddle

Wildcat tennis advances to Southland title match

4/26/2019 1:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis

CORPUS CHRISTI – Abilene Christian men's tennis punched its ticket to the Southland Conference Tournament Championship match after recording a 4-0 win over Nicholls Friday at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. The Wildcats' opponent Saturday will be the host Islanders, who defeated Incarnate Word 4-2 in their semifinal battle.

Today's victory was the Wildcats' 22 second of the season and sixth against conference opposition, lifting their winning percentage to .846.

ACU started today's contest with a fairly dominant showing in doubles. All-conference duo Cole Lawson and Jackson Fine buried Alvaro Barranco and Eduardo Marino at No. 2, 6-1 and junior Nikolas Moceanu and Riley Tran doubled up Nestor Giribet Lopez and Moritz Borges at No. 3, 6-3, for their eighth win together this spring.

Josh and Jonathan Sheehy's top-line match at No. 1 was left unfinished with the score tied at 4-4, but the brothers were the first two off the court in singles in giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead. Josh – the Southland's Player of the Year – topped Oleksandr Podgursky, 6-0, 6-2, for his 19th win of the season against four losses, while Jonathan pushed his win streak to five after defeating Tobias Lentz, 6-4, 6-1. Jonathan is 15-8 overall and the team has a combined singles record of 99-50 (.664).

The match-clinching point was delivered by Southland Freshman of the Year Dimitris Azoides, who bested Eduardo Marino, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 4 in lifting his season record to 18-8.

ACU is now 5-1 all-time vs. the Colonels, and 2-5 in its series history vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with both wins coming in Abilene this season and in 2017.

Abilene Christian 4, Nicholls 0
04/26/19 at Corpus Christi, TX (Thomas J Henry Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. Josh Sheehy (ACU) def. Oleksandr Podgursky (NICM) 6-0, 6-2
2. Jonathan Sheehy (ACU) def. Tobias Lentz (NICM) 6-4, 6-1
3. Nikolas Moceanu (ACU) vs. Dylan Loru (NICM) 6-2, 2-4, unfinished
4. Dimitris Azoides (ACU) def. Eduardo Marino (NICM) 6-0, 6-2
5. Riley Tran (ACU) vs. Nestor Giribet Lopez (NICM) 7-5, 1-1, unfinished
6. Sebastian Langdon (ACU) vs. Alvaro Barranco (NICM) 6-2, 2-2, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Jonathan Sheehy/Josh Sheehy (ACU) vs. Oleksandr Podgursky/Tobias Lentz (NICM) 4-4, unfinished
2. Cole Lawson/Jackson Fine (ACU) def. Alvaro Barranco/Eduardo Marino (NICM) 6-1
3. Nikolas Moceanu/Riley Tran (ACU) def. Nestor Giribet Lopez/Moritz Borges (NICM) 6-3

Match Notes
Nicholls 6-16
Abilene Christian 22-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,2,4)