#71 Men's Tennis Falls to Georgia State to Open Season

Jan. 27, 2007

Tallahassee, Fla. - In a tight match all the way around, the Furman men's tennis team fell to Georgia State, 4-2, in its season opener on Saturday morning at the Speicher Tennis Center on the campus of Florida State University. The Paladins fell to 0-1 on the season, while the Panthers improved to 2-0.

Furman got off to a good start, winning doubles matches at number two and three to clinch the first point of the match. Sophomore Bo Ladyman and senior Brian Crook topped Nejc Podkrajsek and Mattias Skold, 8-6, at number two. Another sophomore/senior duo of Andy Juc and Scott Kahler battled to a 9-8 victory over Andres Arango and Augusto Alvardo to give the Paladins the advantage.

While the singles matches were competitive, the Paladins' only win came at number six. Senior Chris Gilli defeated Daniel Balog, 7-5, 6-0. Skold's three-set win over Furman's Andy Sobczyk clinched the victory for the Panthers.

Furman will continue its road trip with matches against Florida Atlantic and the host Florida State Seminoles on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.

Georgia State 4, Furman 2
Doubles
1. Martin Stiegwardt/Anze Cevka(GS) def. Andy Sobczyk/Jordan Walters (FU) 8-1
2. Bo Ladyman/Brian Crook(FU) def. Nejc Podkrajsek/Mattias Skold (GS) 8-6
3. Andy Juc/Scott Kahler (FU) def. Andres Arango/Augusto Alvardo 9-8

Singles
1. Juc (FU) vs. Stiegwardt (GS) DNF
2. Podkrasek (GS) def. Daniel Knause (FU) 6-0, 6-4
3. Skold (GS) def. Sobczyk (FU) 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0*
4. Arango (GS) def. Walters (FU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Anze Cevka (GS) def. Mike Kociecki (FU) 7-6 (6), 6-3
6. Chris Gilli (FU) def. Daniel Balog (GS) 7-5, 6-0

Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 5, 3
* Clinched victory