University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Gardner-Webb University
Men’s tennis tops Gardner-Webb to claim Big South Championship
04.07.2021 | Men's Tennis
Finish season 5-0, claims Big South Regular-Season Title
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's tennis team finished its 2021 regular season at a sunny Gardner-Webb on Wednesday afternoon, claiming the 2021 Big South Regular-Season Championship with a 5-2 victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
The win gives Asheville its first recognized Big South Regular-Season Championship, finishing 8-5 overall and a perfect 5-0 against conference competition and clinches the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big South Tournament (April 16-17). Asheville has only won the conference tournament championship once in its history, claiming the title back in 1986.
"Really proud of the guys. Great team performance all year long," said head coach Tom Hand. "It's a great day for our men and a great day for UNC Asheville Tennis to earn this historic accomplishment."
Leo Bierbaum and Harry Thursfield downed their opponents 6-3 at the No. 3 doubles flight, setting up Oli Nolan and Bruno Serra who outlasted Stefano Puga and Breno Plentz to win 6-4 at the No. 2 doubles flight and give the Bulldogs the team point.
In singles competition, Sirawit Daesaengsawang made quick work at the No. 6 flight with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Bierbaum continued his strong afternoon, topping Connor Enslin 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 5 spot. One of the senior centerpieces of the team, Nolan topped Victor Putter 6-0, 6-3 to clinch the win and help lift the Bulldogs to the 2021 Big South Crown.
"One of the things we talked about after the match is how we found different ways to win this year," Hand said. "We never looked at a match thinking if we dropped this point, we couldn't win. We've got plenty of depth and it showed all season."
After dropping the first set 4-6, Jon Brann Reid finished his regular season on a high note, battling back to defeat Breno Plentz 6-1, 6-2.
"Just couldn't be happier for these guys," Hand said of the team's accomplishment. "But we aren't done yet. We are just going to keep working and getting better leading into the Big South Tournament.
The Bulldogs will open up play against the No. 4 seed on April 16 at 11:00 a.m. at the Marion Diehl Tennis Center in Charlotte, N.C. For more information on the upcoming Big South Championship, click here.
UNC Asheville 5, Gardner-Webb 2
Doubles:
1. VAN WYK,Chrisjan/Victor Putter (GWUM) def. MORKEL, Charlie/REID, Jon Brann (AVL) 6-3
2. NOLAN, Oli/SERRA, Bruno (AVL) def. Stefano Puga/Breno Plentz (GWUM) 6-4
3. BIERBAUM, Leo/THURSFIELD, Harry (AVL) def. Sebastian Harris/SPRING,John (GWUM) 6-3
Singles:
1. NOLAN, Oli (AVL) def. Victor Putter (GWUM) 6-0, 6-3
2. VAN WYK,Chrisjan (GWUM) def. MORKEL, Charlie (AVL) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)
3. REID, Jon Brann (AVL) def. Breno Plentz (GWUM) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
4. Sebastian Harris (GWUM) def. THURSFIELD, Harry (AVL) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-1)
5. BIERBAUM, Leo (AVL) def. Connor Enslin (GWUM) 6-3, 6-1
6. DAOSAENGSAWANG, Sira (AVL) def. SPRING,John (GWUM) 6-1, 6-3
Match Notes
UNC Asheville 8-5, 5-0
Gardner-Webb 8-9, 3-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,5,1,3,2,4)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,5,1,3,2,4
Players Mentioned
