What you need to know:
* Georgia State (1-2) lost 4-3 to Gardner-Webb in a tight match that came down to the last set.
* The Panthers won the doubles point and two singles points before dropping four-straight.
* GSU stays at home and hosts Troy on Saturday.
ATLANTA – Georgia State claimed the doubles point and top two singles points on Sunday against Gardner-Webb, but then dropped four singles matches to lose 4-3 to the Runnin' Bulldogs at Atlanta Athletic Club.
“I think we have to look at the positives from the weekend,” head coach Brett Ross said. “I was really impressed with our doubles in both matches. We also have some young guys winning at the top of our singles lineup so I think that is a really good sign for the rest of the season.”
The Panthers took care of business efficiently in doubles play. Top duo Sofiane Chevallier and Zack Kennedy extended their win-streak to seven with a 6-1 victory. Just a few moments after that, Jannis Koeke and Sebastian Acuna wrapped up the No. 2 doubles match with a 6-1 win of their own to give GSU the doubles nod.
Koeke and Kennedy stayed on Courts 1 and 2 for the singles competition and didn't break stride. Koeke raced to a 6-2, 6-0 sweep at No. 1 while Kennedy won the No. 2 match 6-3, 6-2.
As the sun and temperature dropped, so did Georgia State's momentum. Acuna and Chevallier were locked in tight battles at No. 3 and 4 singles, respectively. Gardner-Webb earned points with wins at both No. 5 and No. 6 singles to bring the match to 3-2 in favor of GSU. Acuna dropped his first set and went back-and-forth with GWU's Yaroslav Prostakov in Set 2. Prostakov emerged victorious to tie the match at 3.
Chevallier narrowly fell in his first set, and needed to rally in Set 2 to stay alive. Now playing under the lights, Chevallier battled back to win Set 2 6-3 and force a third frame. Chevallier and Ernest Alberch matched each other point-for-point and Alberch held a 5-4 lead. He would go on to break Chevallier to win 6-4 and clinch the 4-3 victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
“Obviously we would like to win every time we take the court, but we have to put this one behind us and get ready for a conference opponent next weekend,” Ross said.
Georgia State stays at home and will host Sun Belt-foe Troy on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSUMTennis) for the latest news.
