East Carolina University
Appalachian State
Appalachian State Edges Pirate Tennis, 4-3
February 15, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 15, 2009
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Appalachian State bounced back from a narrow doubles' point loss by claiming four of six singles matches, all coming in three-set fashion, and rallied past East Carolina 4-3 in non-conference men's tennis action Sunday afternoon at the ECU Tennis Complex.
With the victory, the Mountaineers improved to 3-0 while the Pirates had their season-opening four-match win streak snapped and dropped to 4-1.
East Carolina jumped out to an early 1-0 team advantage with a pair of doubles victories. Despite an 8-5 win by Bobby Lake and Alain Humblet over Denis Ermilov and Jaroslav Horvath at the No. 1 position, the Pirates clinched the point by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 matchups - using an 8-6 triumph by Aleksey Kochetov and Henrik Skalmerud along with an 8-4 victory by Bryan Oakley and Stephen Whitwell.
After Whitwell gave ECU a 2-0 lead with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Trent Constance in a No. 3 matchup, the remaining five singles battles all were decided in three sets. At No. 6, Oakley fought back to even his match (4-6, 7-5) before his opponent, Humblett, retired from play because of an injury with a 1-1 deadlock in the third set to push the Pirates' cushion to 3-0.
The Mountaineers turned the tide and followed by picking up victories in the No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 positions to rally back for team win.
Lake defeated Horvath 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1, Peter Jacobs outlasted Ermilov 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 2, Lee Floyd rebounded from an early deficit to get past Skalmerud 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5 and Phillip Kloc also came from behind to hand Kochetov a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 setback at No. 5.
The Pirates will return to action Friday when they travel to Goldsboro to face Mount Olive in a 2:30 p.m. match.
APPALACHIAN STATE 4, EAST CAROLINA 3
Singles Play
No. 1 - Bobby Lake (ASU) def. Jaroslav Horvath (ECU); 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 - Peter Jacobs (ASU) def. Denis Ermilov (ECU); 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
No. 3 - Stephen Whitwell (ECU) def. Trent Constance (ASU); 6-4, 7-5
No. 4 - Lee Floyd (ASU) def. Henrik Skalmerud (ECU); 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 - Phillip Kloc (ASU) def. Aleksey Kochetov (ECU); 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 6 - Bryan Oakley (ECU) def. Alain Humblet (ASU); 4-6, 7-5, 1-1 (ret-inj)
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Lake/Humblet (ASU) def. Ermilov/Horvath (ECU); 8-5
No. 2 - Kochetov/Skalmerud (ECU) def. Constance/Jacobs (ASU); 8-6
No. 3 - Oakley/Whitwell (ECU) def. Floyd/Kloc (ASU); 8-4
Team Records: Appalachian State 3-0, East Carolina 4-1
