University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Boone, NC
1 PM
UNC Asheville
4
at
3
Appalachian State University
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Thursfield’s Heroics Help Bulldogs Topple Mountaineers
02.22.2020 | Men's Tennis
BOONE, N.C. – A clutch three-set victory by freshman Harry Thursfield helped deliver an exciting 4-3 triumph for UNC Asheville's men's tennis team against Appalachian State, Saturday.
With the dual tied 3-3, it all came down to Thursfield's singles match at No. 5 against the Mountaineers' Alex Pavkovich. Thursfield took a thrilling first set, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. The second set would be much of the same as Pavkovich won 7-6, taking the tiebreaker, 7-3.
It all came down to decisive third set. Tied at 5-5, Thursfield rallied to take it 7-5 and give the Bulldogs their third victory of the season.
The Bulldogs (3-4) surrendered the first point of the dual to the Mountaineers (1-7), dropping two doubles matches. Oli Nolan and Charlie Morkel secured a 6-3 victory at No. 1 and the Mountaineers' duo won the match at No. 3.
Sirawit Daosaengsawang and Edward Colclough had a tight battle against Aleksandar Petrovic and Matvey Radionov, but fell in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-2).
Morkel evened things up for the Bulldogs, taking down Petrovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Nolan followed with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at the No. 2 spot to put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-1.
Radionov defeated Daosaengsawang at the No. 3 spot in three sets to even the dual back up, and Zion Heaven defeated Leo Bierbaum in three sets at No. 4 to put the Mountaineers up 3-2 with two matches to go.
Like Thursfield, Quinn Fender had a tight match of his own at No. 6. He took a tight first set via tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), before falling to Alessio Azzalini, 6-3, in the second set. He rebounded with a resounding 6-0 result in the third to tie the dual at 3-3.
"Great win for the guys today," head coach Tom Hand said. "It was always going to be a battle and I was very pleased with the way we competed all the way up and down. Our freshman came up big to clinch it for us in a match that could have gone either way."
The Bulldogs return to action when they take on Furman on the road, 11 a.m., Sunday.
UNC Asheville 4, Appalachian State 3
SINGLES
1. MORKEL, Charlie (AVL) def. Petrovic, Aleksandar (APPM) 6-3, 6-1
2. NOLAN, Oli (AVL) def. Bargeron, Milo (APPM) 6-2, 6-4
3. Radionov, Matvey (APPM) def. DAOSAENGSAWANG, Sira (AVL) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
4. Heaven, Zion (APPM) def. BIERBAUM, Leo (AVL) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5)
5. THURSFIELD, Harry (AVL) def. Pavkovich, Alex (APPM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 7-5
6. FENDER, Quinn (AVL) def. Azzalini, Alessio (APPM) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-0
DOUBLES
1. NOLAN, Oli/MORKEL, Charlie (AVL) def. Bargeron, Milo/Heaven, Zion (APPM) 6-3
2. Petrovic, Aleksandar/Radionov, Matvey (APPM) def. DAOSAENGSAWANG, Sira/COLCLOUGH, Edward (AVL) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Azzalini, Alessio/Pavkovich, Alex (APPM) def. MCFADYEN, Finlay Ray/FENDER, Quinn (AVL) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,6,5)
With the dual tied 3-3, it all came down to Thursfield's singles match at No. 5 against the Mountaineers' Alex Pavkovich. Thursfield took a thrilling first set, 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-5. The second set would be much of the same as Pavkovich won 7-6, taking the tiebreaker, 7-3.
It all came down to decisive third set. Tied at 5-5, Thursfield rallied to take it 7-5 and give the Bulldogs their third victory of the season.
The Bulldogs (3-4) surrendered the first point of the dual to the Mountaineers (1-7), dropping two doubles matches. Oli Nolan and Charlie Morkel secured a 6-3 victory at No. 1 and the Mountaineers' duo won the match at No. 3.
Sirawit Daosaengsawang and Edward Colclough had a tight battle against Aleksandar Petrovic and Matvey Radionov, but fell in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-2).
Morkel evened things up for the Bulldogs, taking down Petrovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Nolan followed with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at the No. 2 spot to put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-1.
Radionov defeated Daosaengsawang at the No. 3 spot in three sets to even the dual back up, and Zion Heaven defeated Leo Bierbaum in three sets at No. 4 to put the Mountaineers up 3-2 with two matches to go.
Like Thursfield, Quinn Fender had a tight match of his own at No. 6. He took a tight first set via tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), before falling to Alessio Azzalini, 6-3, in the second set. He rebounded with a resounding 6-0 result in the third to tie the dual at 3-3.
"Great win for the guys today," head coach Tom Hand said. "It was always going to be a battle and I was very pleased with the way we competed all the way up and down. Our freshman came up big to clinch it for us in a match that could have gone either way."
The Bulldogs return to action when they take on Furman on the road, 11 a.m., Sunday.
UNC Asheville 4, Appalachian State 3
SINGLES
1. MORKEL, Charlie (AVL) def. Petrovic, Aleksandar (APPM) 6-3, 6-1
2. NOLAN, Oli (AVL) def. Bargeron, Milo (APPM) 6-2, 6-4
3. Radionov, Matvey (APPM) def. DAOSAENGSAWANG, Sira (AVL) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
4. Heaven, Zion (APPM) def. BIERBAUM, Leo (AVL) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5)
5. THURSFIELD, Harry (AVL) def. Pavkovich, Alex (APPM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 7-5
6. FENDER, Quinn (AVL) def. Azzalini, Alessio (APPM) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-0
DOUBLES
1. NOLAN, Oli/MORKEL, Charlie (AVL) def. Bargeron, Milo/Heaven, Zion (APPM) 6-3
2. Petrovic, Aleksandar/Radionov, Matvey (APPM) def. DAOSAENGSAWANG, Sira/COLCLOUGH, Edward (AVL) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Azzalini, Alessio/Pavkovich, Alex (APPM) def. MCFADYEN, Finlay Ray/FENDER, Quinn (AVL) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,6,5)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Petrovic, Aleksandar / 0 [APPM]
31
#2 Singles Match
12
66
Bargeron, Milo / 0 [APPM]
24
#3 Singles Match
123
361
Radionov, Matvey / 0 [APPM]
616
#4 Singles Match
12
66
Heaven, Zion / 0 [APPM]
77
#5 Singles Match
123
767
Pavkovich, Alex / 0 [APPM]
675
#6 Singles Match
123
736
Azzalini, Alessio / 0 [APPM]
660
Order of Finish:
1,2,3,4,6,5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
LJ Thorpe Chalk Talk | Men's Basketball
Wednesday, August 27
Alumni Interview || Clay Edmondson || Baseball
Monday, August 04
Why Asheville || Payton Rolfsen || Volleyball
Thursday, July 24
Why Asheville || Addie Cooper || Women's Soccer
Tuesday, June 17