ELON, N.C. -- After sweeping through doubles play, the 61st-ranked Elon Phoenix men's tennis squad captured five of six singles bouts to pick up a 6-1 Southern Conference victory over UNC Greensboro from the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on the Elon campus on Wednesday afternoon. Elon upped its mark to 18-5 overall and 8-1 in league play, securing the number two seed in next week's SoCon Tournament. UNCG dropped to 13-7, 6-3.
Highlighting the victory for Elon was
Damon Gooch's three-set singles win over reigning SoCon Player of the Week Orcun Seyrek who had not dropped a league match this year.
The 34th-ranked team of Gooch and
Philip Nemec closed doubles action with an 8-7 (4) victory over the Spartan team of Seyrek and Arsel Kumdereli.
Elon's lead grew to 2-0 when Nemec ousted Kumdereli 6-2, 6-2 at number three singles in an hour and 16 minutes. Rojas extended the Phoenix margin to 3-0 when he defeated John 6-4, 6-2 at number five. The victory improved Rojas to 9-0 in SoCon singles play.
Stauffer MacDowell's 6-4, 6-4 decision over Litus at number six sealed the Phoenix victory.
At number four, Helpingstine knocked off Wright 7-5, 6-1 before UNCG earned its lone point when Bubnov defeated Podlewski 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in just under two hours at number two.
Gooch and Seyrek squared off in the top singles match which lasted nearly two and a half hours before the Phoenix's top player earned a 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 decision over Seyrek who entered the match with an 8-0 SoCon mark. Seyrek had dropped just one spring contest.
Elon rounds out its regular season by playing host to The Citadel in a SoCon match at noon on Saturday. Prior to the match, the Phoenix will honor its two seniors. UNCG concludes its regular season on Friday, also hosting The Citadel.
-- ELON --
