Feb. 22, 2015 Complete Results
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The No. 37 University of San Diego men's tennis team continued their winning ways and defeated a talented, No. 21 South Carolina squad Sunday afternoon at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center. This victory not only endured their undefeated stand at home, but marked their seventh-win in a row as well. Although the match was hindered by inclement weather conditions, the Toreros' motivation drove them to their second 4-3 victory versus a top 25 opponent.
The start of the match would go in favor of the Gamecocks - snapping the Toreros' six-match winning streak in achieving the doubles point. No. 46 Thomas Mayronne and Harrison O'Keefe knocked off juniors Romain Kalaydjian and Uros Petronijevic 6-2. While No. 54-ranked junior Jordan Angus and sophomore Filip Vittek were neck and neck at the No. 1 spot, South Carolina clinched the point narrowly ousting senior Ciaran Fitzgerald and sophomore Geoffrey Fosso in a tiebreaker.
Fosso got the Toreros on the scoreboard in singles. Picking up his sixth-straight singles victory, Fosso cruised past South Carolina's Sam Swank 6-3, 6-2. The remainder of the match would not go as smoothly with four out of the five matches going into three sets. The Gamecocks took the lead once again after Fitzgerald dropped a two-set decision at the No. 6 spot. Angus would answer for the Toreros, coming back from a set down to defeat Gamecocks' No. 103-ranked Andrew Schafer 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
After a South Carolina win at the No. 4 spot, it was Vittek who kept the Toreros alive. Vittek has posted an impressive eight-match winning streak in singles and was also recognized as West Coast Conference Player of the Week for the first time this season.
At 3-3, the Toreros would come back from a brief rain delay and resumed play. Petronijevic, who is ranked No. 82 in the nation, gained back momentum after dropping the second to defeat South Carolina's Thiago Pinheiro in a thrilling 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory.
"Another great win today," Head coach Brett Masi expressed. "We showed a ton of heart and fight this afternoon. Also, mentally, I think this has been our best match. We put ourselves in a hole and had some ups and downs. Yet, we didn't get frustrated and kept our heads on straight to pull those wins out. We really showed some growth and that's what I was most pleased with today. It was a tough day with the rain delays of course, but we handled it well."
The Toreros return to action to face their second West Coast Conference opponent in Los Angeles, Calif. against the Loyola Marymount Lions. The squad will compete February 27th, at 2:00 p.m. - PT.
#37 San Diego (7-2) vs. #21 South Carolina (8-5)
February 22, 2015
Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center
San Diego, Calif.
Final Results
San Diego 4, def. South Carolina, 3
Singles Competition
1. #82 Uros Petronijevic (USD) def. Thiago Pinheiro (South Carolina) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
2. #83 Filip Vittek (USD) def. Kyle Koch (South Carolina) 0-6, 7-6, 6-2
3. Jordan Angus (USD) def. #103 Andrew Schafer (South Carolina) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. #120 Harrison O'Keefe (South Carolina) def. Romain Kalaydjian (USD) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
5. Geoffrey Fosso (USD) def. Sam Swank (South Carolina) 6-3, 6-2
6. Thomas Mayronne (South Carolina) def. Ciaran Fitzgerald (USD) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. #54 Jordan Angus/Filip Vittek (USD) vs. Thiago Pinheiro/Kyle Koch (South Carolina) 6-6, unfinished
2. #46 Thomas Mayronne/Harrison O'Keefe (South Carolina) def. Romain Kalaydjian/Uros Petronijevic (USD) 6-2
3. Andrew Schafer/Sam Swank (South Carolina) def. Ciaran Fitzgerald/Geoffret Fosso (USD) 7-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3*) Singles (5, 6, 3, 4, 2, 1*)
*Clinched the match
