ATLANTA.– Georgia State men's tennis (7-5) built upon past success, defeating Chattanooga (4-7) 5-2 Sunday afternoon at the Peachtree City Tennis Center.
The Panthers, who were coming off a thrilling 4-3 home victory over ETSU, carried their confidence into this match. Andrei Duarte and Patrick Lazo notched their second doubles victory as a pair to start the contest. Kevin Huynh and Harvey Maughan stayed focused to find the 7-5 result on the top court and to clinch the one-point advantage. This marks the fifth-straight doubles point victory for GSU.
Georgia State did not slow down in singles play. Vazha Shubladze earned a 6-2, 6-2 decision on the top court to quickly extend the lead for the blue and white. Rookie Mihai Marinescu added to the point total before senior Kevin Huynh clinched the team victory with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win on court five.
Despite Georgia State's success, the Mocs continued to fight as the remaining courts split the first two sets. Chattanooga earned their first point of the day, surpassing Duarte in a super tiebreaker. Moments later, the Mocs would add to their point total with an additional super tiebreaker result over Maughan. Lazo showed his endurance as he surpassed his opponent on the sixth court to add to the GSU point total and finish the match.
"I am really proud of how the guys battled today and all weekend. Coming off a gritty performance against ETSU I think really helped us today," said head coach Jonathan Wolff. "I love playing these matches out against these tougher schools even when the match is clinched. The guys build their confidence and get more experience."
The Panthers open Sun Belt play Tuesday against Coastal Carolina. The match will be held at a neutral site in Aiken, S.C. This will be the third match for GSU in five days.
"We are looking forward to our next match on Tuesday against our first conference opponent," said Wolff. " Coastal Carolina has always been tough for us and it will be interesting to see how the guys respond to playing on a neutral court. We will do our best to keep the win streak alive."
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