PADUCAH, Ky. – The Belmont men's tennis team fell short in their quest for a conference title as they fell to Jacksonville State 4-3 in the OVC Championship match held Saturday at the Heflin Tennis Center in Paducah, Kentucky.
JSU took an early 1-0 lead as they captured the doubles point. The Gamecocks posted wins at positions two and three. The Bruins did pick up a win at number one as Mauricio Antun and Marko Lovrinovic beat Jaryd Reese and Pedro Wagner 8-6.
In singles, JSU built a 2-0 lead as they won at number five as Jeff Wendler-Fliho defeated Hans Nardelli 6-1, 6-2. Then, the Bruins tied the match up 2-2 when Mauricio Antun won at number one over Pedro Wagner 7-6 (5), 6-1 and Cedric Dujacquier beat Dylan Gee 6-1, 6-4 at number three.
The Gamecocks grabbed the lead back as Mathias Chaim earned a win at number five over Henrik Claesson 6-2, 7-5. Belmont tied the match at 3-3 when Marko Lovrinovic won at number two over Jaryd Reese 6-4, 7-6.
With the match tied, the championship came down to the match at number six. BU's Martijn Verberne gave a valiant effort, but injuries hampered his play, which allowed Felipe Wenzel to earn a comeback victory in three sets: 6-7, 6-0, and 6-0, clinching the championship for Jacksonville State.
"Our guys did a great job today," said Jim Madrigal, Belmont head coach. "We fought hard but just came up a little bit short at the end. Congratulations to Jacksonville State on the victory."
Belmont ends their season with a record of 11-10, 8-1 in the OVC.
