Colonnade

Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Lissa Speer Senior Joao Casagrande serves against USC Aiken Feb. 28. Casagrande went 2-0 in his matches against the Pacers, teaming with freshman Jerome Leborgne in first doubles and winning his individual match at sixth singles.

Media Credit: Lissa Speer Junior Bertille Lion adjusts for a forehand shot against USC Aiken Feb. 28.

The GCSU tennis teams had a very successful past week, with the men winning each of its two matches 6-3, and the women finishing 1-1 on the week, the victory coming by that same 6-3 margin.

Most recently, USC Aiken came calling Feb. 28, and the Bobcats sent each of the Pacer squads home with a loss.

The No. 11 Bobcats' first doubles pair of freshman Jerome Leborgne and senior Joao Casagrande, No. 16 nationally, lost a heartbreaking 9-8 match, but second and third doubles controlled their matches. At second doubles, the senior duo of Max Beliankou and Giovane Nucci won 8-4, and at third doubles, sophomore Leo Bernardes and freshman Johan Wadstein took out their opponents 8-3.

The Bobcats put the match away in singles, going 4-2 overall.

At first singles, Leborgne won 7-6, 4-6 and 6-1, while at second singles, Wadstein lost 6-0 and 6-3.

"I think Jerome has stepped into his role really well, Johan has been a little more up-and-down, but I mean they're young, you know?" head coach Steve Barsby said.

Beliankou won 7-5, 6-1 in third singles. The victory gives Beliankou his team-leading fifth win on the season.

"If anybody beats Max at that third spot, they really had to earn it," Barsby said.

Nucci dropped his match at fourth singles 6-3, 6-3, while Bernardes won 6-0, 6-3 at the fifth spot. Casagrande sits at 2-0 in singles play after his victory at the sixth spot, 7-5, 6-2.

The women's team also won 6-3, also going 2-1 in doubles and 4-2 in singles.

The doubles victories came from the first and second pairs. Senior Diane Danna and junior Bertille Lion teamed up to win 8-3, and the freshmen duo of Kayla Barksdale and Michelle Lingner were victorious 8-4.

The top three women's singles produced wins, with Danna coming out on top 6-2, 6-1, Barksdale winning in straight 6-0 sets, and Lion winning 6-1, 6-4, respectively.

Lingner could not continue the streak, losing at fourth singles 7-5, 6-3.

Freshman Linda Mosa took her match in straight 6-2 sets, while sophomore Adriana Acuna dropped her match 6-4, 5-7, 10-3.

"It was great for the ladies to get that first conference win, they've been playing really young, making those young mistakes," Barsby said. "But they fought hard and I'm proud of them."

Two days prior, the Bobcats split their series at Augusta State, with the men finding victory and the women tasting defeat.

The Bobcat men started off shaky, dropping their first and second doubles matches, but Beliankou and Bernardes held on 8-3 in third doubles.

In singles, GCSU shined, with five wins in six matches. Victories came from Leborgne at No. 1 singles 6-3, 6-3; Wadstein at No. 2 singles 0-6, 6-4, 6-3; Beliankou at No. 3 singles 6-4, 6-4; Nucci at No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-2; and Casagrande at No. 6 singles 2-6, 7-6, 6-3. Bernardes lost his match at No. 4 singles 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The women fell 6-3 to the No. 22 Jaguars, finding victory only at second doubles from Barksdale and Lingner 8-3, Danna at No. 1 singles 6-2, 6-2, and Lion at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-1.

The Bobcats are back in action today as they travel to No. 14 Francis Marion for a 2 p.m. match.

"We've got a couple of huge matches coming up against high-ranked opponents," Barsby said. "We need to play well against these teams and see if we're still an elite team in the country."

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