Tennis splits first annual Greer College Cup, looks for momentum shift for second half of season
Posted by The Skyliner on March 25th, 2009Paul Conner
Staff Writer
The women’s tennis team won the first annual Greer College Cup by defeating Newberry 8-2 overall, 2-1 in doubles and 6-1 in singles. The startup tournament, hosted by the Greer Tennis Association, hopes to add more teams next year and become increasingly competitive.
“I think it was a good start for the tournament,” Crusaders head coach Mark Eliot said. “We started with one team coming this year, and next year we hope to have three or four teams coming in. It’s a good first step.”
Salem Erni, junior interdisciplinary studies, and Katherine Shaw, freshman undecided, lost their number one doubles match 5-8. Number two pair Cassie Curtis, freshman secondary education, and Courtney Lynn, senior psychology, won 8-1, and Natalie Stewart, sophomore business administration, and Sarah Stanga, sophomore business administration, won 8-1 in the number three match.
Erni, the Lady Crusaders’ number one, fell 4-6, 4-6, but North Greenville went on to win six straight matches. Shaw, Stanga, and Stewart all shut out their opponents 6-0, 6-0, and Lynn won 6-1, 6-2. Curtis and Stephanie Tyrpak, senior broadcast media/Spanish both won their matches 6-1, 6-0. North Greenville was without Sherie Curtis, senior elementary education.
“The girls played very well, even without Sherie,” Eliot said. “The other girls stepped up and picked up the slack.”
The game marked the halfway point of the team’s six-game homestand. The win also gave the Lady Crusaders a winning record at 4-3. North Greenville will host USC-Lancaster Friday at 3 p.m. and Piedmont Saturday at 2 p.m.
Newberry edged the men’s team 5-4 to win their share of the Cup. North Greenville won 2-1 in doubles but fell 2-4 in singles.
“They’re a good team that’s ranked in the top 40 (in NCAA Division II),” Eliot said. “I’d like to have won, but we did not lose because of lack of effort.”
Jacob Rogers, senior Christian studies, and Juan Carlos Aguilera, senior economics, the Crusaders’ number one doubles pair, fell 6-8, Gabriel Altmayer, senior international business, and Timor Kamilov, freshman undecided, were victorious 8-3, and Guilherme Vasques, senior business administration, and William Ho, senior marketing/business administration, won the third match 8-2.
Altmayer lost a close singles match 6-5, 6-5, and Kamilou fell 6-2, 3-6, 3-6 in overtime. Rogers fell 0-6, 2-6, and Aguilera fell 6-3, 6-7. Vasques and Ho picked up the only singles wins on the day. Vasques defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-3, and Ho gutted out a 6-4, 2-6, 11-9 victory.
North Greenville had won three of four matches coming into the game, and their record fell to 3-5.
The Crusaders will face USC-Lancaster Friday at 3 p.m. and Piedmont Saturday at 2 p.m.