ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 5-ranked Greyhounds kept their brooms busy on Friday night, defeating the No. 6-seed Flagler Saints by a clean 4-0 score. Under the lights of the USTA National Campus, the Hounds played a tough match that saw clutch moments in both singles and doubles be the decider in the match.
INS & OUTS
Doubles saw continued excellence out of the No. 2 pairing of
Matthieu Derache and
Erwan Momo Andre. Coming off a dominant victory the day before, the pair kept it rolling with a 6-3 win today. The same strategy of high percentage tennis kept them rolling, capitalizing on quality first serves.
Then in a simple game plan, the pair of
Louis Picaud and
Nikolaj Talimaa just outworked their Saints' foes winning 6-4 to put the Hounds up.
Singles saw grit and determination from the Greyhounds as they battled from match one through six. Talimaa was simply dominant through-and-through out of the No. 4 slot. After winning his first set 6-3, a 6-0 second was the hammer on the Hounds 2-0 lead.
Tom Zeuch, after getting his victory cut shot in doubles, went to work quick. A 6-2 first set the tone of the match and Zeuch never let up, keeping the energy keep into the second set, arriving at another 6-2 win.
Finally, with multiple matches winding down, it would be a new clincher for the Hounds with Picaud finally getting his and he did it in style. After dropping back-to-back points, the sophomore from Dijon, France fired an ace to secure the Hounds trip to the final four.
MORE NOTES
The match also featured some history between the head coaches, with it being a battle of former Sycamores. UIndy's
Malik Tabet and Flagler's Jonas Pilbor both coached at Indiana State University prior to their current roles. Tabet was the head coach of the women's team while Pilbor coaches the men's squad.
UP NEXT
It's a battle of the top two seeds on the right side of the bracket with the No. 3-seed Hounds matching up against the No. 2-seed Columbus State Cougars. Both squads have a day off before they kick back into action on Sunday 4 p.m.
It's going to be a long standing revenge match for the Hounds, with the last time they faced the Cougars, it was a 4-0 sweep for CSU.
