Men’s Tennis Bows Out to Mariners TSC Semifinal Battle

Third-Seeded Southeastern Edged By Second-Seeded Coastal Georgia in Sun Conference Tournament
BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Southeastern University men’s tennis team found themselves in a similar position they were in about just over a month ago: in a tight match against the College of Coastal Georgia. The backdrop for this meeting was The Sun Conference Tournament Semifinal in Brunswick, Ga. After an absolute back-and-forth battle, the third-seeded Fire fell to the second-seeded Mariners 5-4 to bow out of the tournament.
SEU took a 2-1 lead over CCGA after doubles’ play, thanks to clutch performances at the No. 2 and 3 lines after the Fire fell at No. 1.
The duo of juniors Felipe Barbosa and Thomas Ortega tied up the match 1-1 with an 8-6 win at No. 2.
Then, senior Hugo Pires and freshman Enrique Martinez won their 12th-straight doubles’ match 8-6 to put the Fire ahead of the Mariners 2-1 at the break.
The Mariners responded to quickly knot things up 2-2 with a two-set win at the No. 6 line.
Martinez came through for SEU to avenge a loss versus Bautista Chiradia at No. 4 singles in two sets after he had lost to him in the regular season meeting, regaining the lead for the Fire 3-2.
CCGA tied things back up 3-3 with another two-set victory at the top line.
Sophomore Santiago Haas dominated at the third line, defeating his opponent in two sets (6-2, 6-2) to put the Fire back ahead 4-3.
The Mariners tied it again with a two-set win at No. 6 singles.
With the match 4-4, the decision came down to the No. 2 singles’ line. Barbosa battled back and forth with his opponent in a valiant effort, just coming up short in a three-set thriller.
“We competed and the men should be proud of themselves,” shared Interim Head Coach Drew Dickens. “There were improvements across the board from the last time we played Coastal Georgia to today”.
Despite not earning the result the Fire desired, they take pride in knowing they helped take the program to new heights, building a strong foundation for many members of the Fire Family to come.