GREENVILLE, NC – UNC Greensboro’s Andrey Bubnov and Arsel Kumdereli won straight-set matches in singles action, but it wasn’t enough as East Carolina claimed a 5-2 win in men’s tennis action Wednesday afternoon.
Bubnov won for the fourth time in his last six matches, topping Henrique Viana, 6-1 and 6-3. Kumdereli needed a second-set tiebreaker, but still managed to sweep Aleksey Kochetov, 6-4 and 7-6, with a 7-4 score in the tiebreak.
But the Pirates (12-6) won the other four singles, three of them in straight sets, and swept the doubles pro-sets. UNCG’s Taylor Befus nearly rallied for a win at No. 5 singles, dropping the opener 6-2 before coming back for a 6-4 second set win over Bryan Oakley. But Oakley won a 10-point tiebreaker to decide the match, 10-7.
UNCG (1-12) returns to action on Friday when it hosts Chattanooga in a Southern Conference match-up. Start time is set for 2 pm.
AGATE
EAST CAROLINA 5, UNC GREENSBORO 2
Singles Play
No. 1 - Andrey Bubnov (UNCG) def. Henrique Viana (ECU); 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 - Arsel Kumdereli (UNCG) def. Aleksey Kochetov (ECU); 6-4, 7-6 (4)
No. 3 - Stephen Whitwell (ECU) def. Yaroslav Litus (UNCG); 6-2, 6-3
No. 4 - Henrik Skalmerud (ECU) def. William John (UNCG); 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 - Bryan Oakley (ECU) def. Taylor Befus (UNCG); 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
No. 6 - Matt Peeler (ECU) def. Andrew Clark (UNCG); 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Horvath/Viana (ECU) def. John/Kumdereli (UNCG); 8-3
No. 2 - Kochetov/Skalmerud (ECU) def. Bubnov/Litus (UNCG); 8-5
No. 3 - Oakley/Whitwell (ECU) def. Clark/Befus (UNCG); 8-1
- UNCG -