The men’s team was able to pull out a victory over No. 56 Mississippi State this past Sunday. They did not win in the same convincing fashion as the first four games, but they were able to remain undefeated and improved their record to 5-0. Mississippi State fell to 1-2 in the spring season.
The Jackets were able to easily take the doubles point to gain the lead, winning the first two matches.
Senior David North and senior George Gvelesiani won their match against Artem Kusnetov and Ryan Farlow 8-2. Freshman Guillermo Gomez and freshman Eliot Potvin were able to deliver the doubles point when they grinded through a match against Tanner Stump and Pjotrs Necajevs, eventually prevailing 9-8 (7-5).
During singles, the match suddenly turned into a back-and-forth affair between the Jackets and the Bulldogs, eventually leading to a tied score with the very last point in play.
The three individuals able to deliver the points for the team were freshman Ryan Smith, freshman Miguel Muguruza and North.
Smith easily defeated Kuznetsov, losing just two games en route to a 6-2, 6-0 win.
Muguruza had more difficulty, being pushed to three sets before taking the match. He won the first 6-4, but lost the second 4-6. He won the deciding set 6-3 to help stretch Tech’s slim lead.
Finally, North was able to win a closely contested match against No. 14 Phillipe Frayssinoux. With the game tied at three apiece, he took the clinching point for the Jackets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
For his efforts, North was recognized as one of the ACC Tennis Players of the Week. Fellow tennis player Kirsten Flower won the honor for the women’s team.
His win against a ranked opponent is just another to add to his already long list of perceived upsets.
The team last played No. 31 Auburn yesterday at home and will next play Furman on Wednesday at the Bill Moore Tennis Center at 2:30 p.m.