Norfolk, Va.--The No. 55-ranked Georgia State men's tennis team dropped a narrow 4-3 contest to No. 42-ranked UNCW in the 2012 Virginia 529 CAA Championship semifinals on Saturday.
Georgia State (20-5) finishes its season with 20 wins for the second-straight year. The Panthers now have won 56 matches the last three seasons and own a .778 winning percentage during that span. It is the most successful three-year run in Georgia State men's tennis history. GSU finished this year with a second-consecutive trip to the CAA Championship semifinals.
The Panthers took the doubles point against UNCW (17-6) but couldn't close out the match in singles play. Junior Lucas Santana put forth a heroic effort on Saturday. First, he clinched the doubles point for Georgia State by earning an 8-3 win in the No. 3 slot with freshman Jose Ortiz. The win for Santana and Ortiz improved them to 5-0 this year and was the pair's fourth win to clinch the doubles point this season.
Santana then fell behind 4-1 in his first set at the No. 6 singles match, but went on a huge rally to take the first set 6-4. He kept the momentum going and won his second set 6-3 to win the match. Santana's win kept Georgia State's hopes alive for a victory when at the time it faced a 3-2 deficit in the team score.
Freshman Matias Hatem dominated en route to yet another victory this season. The stalwart freshman improved his 2012 singles record to 21-3 after he won a 6-2, 6-3 match vs. UNCW's Chris Cooprider at No. 2 singles. Hatem finishes his first season at Georgia State tied with Santana for the most wins in a singles season for a freshman in GSU history.
Also earning a doubles win for Georgia Stat was senior Juan Pablo Gutierrez and junior Victor Valente. The two won 8-3 in the No. 2 slot to jump their record this season to 9-1. Gutierrez finishes his career as one of the most successful doubles players in Georgia State history. The Guayaquil, Ecuador, native finishes his career with 45 doubles victories and a .714 winning percentage in doubles play. He also racked up 44 career victories in singles action.
Check back this week for a season recap of another successful season for Georgia State men's tennis under third-year head coach Chase Hodges. The Panthers return five of their six starters from the singles and doubles lineups for the 2012-13 season.
#42 UNCW 4, #55 Georgia State 3
Singles:
1. Rafael Aita (UNCW) def. Victor Valente (GSU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Matias Hatem (GSU) def. Chris Cooprider (UNCW) 6-2, 6-3
3. Kosta Blank (UNCW) def. Thomas Cook (GSU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Pedro Mol (UNCW) def. Juan Pablo Gutierrez (GSU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Kaue Pereira (UNCW) def. Ismael Lahlou (GSU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Lucas Santana (GSU) def. Michael Reilly (UNCW) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles:
1. Kosta Blank/Chris Cooprider (UNCW) def. Matias Hatem/Thomas Cook (GSU) 8-3
2. Juan Pablo Gutierrez/Victor Valente (GSU) def. Sam Williams/Michael Reilly (UNCW) 8-3
3. Lucas Santana/Jose Ortiz (GSU) def. Pedro Mol/Kaue Pereira (UNCW) 8-3
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