April 26, 2006
By James Beck
The Charleston Post and Courier
Furman's men returned to Southern Conference tennis power, while the Paladins' women maintained their tight grip on league supremacy Sunday as both teams won Southern Conference titles at The Citadel's Earle Tennis Center.
The second-seeded men posted a 4-2 win over upset-minded Chattanooga in the final for their first title since 2003, and the top-seeded women rolled past Davidson, 4-1, for their third straight title. Both Furman teams earned automatic berths into the NCAA playoffs.
Senior Ben Pauluhn fittingly came through in the clutch to clinch the victory for 40th-year Furman men's coach Paul Scarpa's team. But it was the doubles point and a quick win at No. 2 singles by freshman Andy Juc that got things started for the Paladins (20-10). Juc, who also won at No. 3 doubles, was named the men's tournament's most outstanding player.
Chattanooga (17-9), the fourth seed, rallied to close to 3-2, with Nos. 1 and 5 singles involved in three-setters. But both Chatta-nooga players remaining on the courts were suffering from cramps and had to call for the trainer.
Pauluhn took advantage of Ryan Fitzgerald's obvious discomfort to control the third set of the No. 1 singles match from the start and never let up before putting away Fitzgerald, 6-7 (10-8), 6-3, 6-2.
Pauluhn's victory sent a crowd of several hundred Furman fans into ecstacy as players and fans alike charged onto the court to celebrate the Paladins' 12th SoCon tennis championship.
"Ben (Pauluhn) wasn't even in the lineup as a freshman, but he's our captain this year," said Scarpa, the winningest active coach in college tennis. "He won't quit."
Scarpa also was pleased to have Juc, a left-hander who came to Furman this school year from a Virginia prep school after growing up in Russia. By scoring a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Chattanooga's Artyom Vlasenko, Juc closed out his first year of SoCon competition unbeaten.
Furman's women (18-6) got the lift they needed from junior Bonnie Baird at No. 5 singles when she rallied from a 5-3 second-set deficit to post a 6-3, 7-5 win over Davidson's Meredith Skeeters to clinch the title. Davidson (18-9) had won the first set in each of the other two matches left unfinished and appeared ready to challenge the Paladins' supremacy before Baird's unexpected net charges and crafty lefty cuts and spins enabled her to win the last four games.
Baird was the women's tournament's most outstanding player.
The title was the 14th for Furman's women, who haven't lost a regular-season match in the SoCon since 1999. "I thought we played really well in singles, and getting the doubles point really helped," said 20th-year Furman women's coach Debbie Southern.
"Our No. 1 player (Tampa, Fla., freshman Laura Gioia) played amazing tennis," Southern added. Gioia scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory over over sophomore Kelsey Linville to give Furman a quick 2-0 lead.
"We had a lot of heart and we had to have it to beat Davidson," said Southern. "We were fortunate to win. We expected Davidson to make a run, and they did. They were the underdogs, and they took it to us."
