Men's Tennis | 3/5/2016 2:43:00 PM

STATESBORO, Ga.- In the conference opener on Saturday, the Georgia Southern men's tennis team continued their four-match winning streak at home, beating Sun Belt rival Troy 4-1. After beating the Trojans, the Eagles now have a 9-3 overall record and a 1-0 conference record.

"It was a battle," head coach Sander Koning said. "We went into four three-setters; the guys just played great. It's not necessarily that they played their best games, but their fight was unbelievable and that's what we've been seeing all season long. It just shows that the guys are in tune with what we're trying to do and they have confidence."

The Blue and White picked up the doubles point, gaining an early one point lead after Dani Casablancas and Nico de Groof (line two) put the Eagles on the board with their 6-4 clinch. Sophomores Eddie Landin and JC Alcala started things in the right direction, winning the first doubles match 6-3 for GS.

"Numbers two and three doubles decided to play aggressive which is what we've been working on this past week because we haven't been playing doubles all that well up until now, but I was really pleased with how they played today," Koning said.

In singles, Landin took an early fall at the No.4 position to tie the score at 1-all, but senior Rise Lanne brought the Eagles to a 2-1 lead after winning at line one in straight sets, which marks his 10^th singles win in a row.

Although four Eagles were behind after the first sets, No.2 JC Alcala, No.3 Ze Moya and No.5 Dani Casablancas fought back to extend their matches to three sets. Andre Johnson, playing at the No.6 position, also went into the third set after a 6-4, 5-7 score after two.

Alcala finished off strong, putting up the third point up for the Blue and White after a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over the Trojan's Giovani Samaha. One point away from an Eagles win, Casablancas was able to clinch for the second time that day, wearing out Mustapha Belcora and earning Georgia Southern's fourth and final point after grabbing the doubles point earlier.

"Dani was unbelievable. He had some physical issues in the third set but just kept his mind on winning the match and he did," Koning said. "That intensity, that mindset—we have that across the board and that's so important for guys to see that, especially the freshmen. I'm very pleased with our leadership on this team."

On Sunday, the Eagles host another quality team, Florida Gulf Coast, at noon to attempt to win their fifth-straight match at the Wallis Tennis Complex.

RESULTS
Georgia Southern 4, Troy 1
 
Singles competition
1. Rise Lanne (GS) def. Daniel Bustamante (TROY) 6-4, 6-3
2. JC Alcala (GS) def. Giovani Samaha (TROY) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
3. Ze Moya (GS) vs. Vaclav Slezak (TROY) 4-6, 6-3, 2-3, unfinished
4. Pablo Moreno (TROY) def. Eddie Landin (GS) 6-1, 6-2
5. Daniel Casablancas (GS) def. Mustapha Belcora (TROY) 1-6, 7-6, 6-3
6. Andre Johnson (GS) vs. Hassan Ndayishimiye (TROY) 6-4, 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Andy Lau/Pablo Moreno (TROY) def. Rise Lanne/Ze Moya (GS) 6-2
2. Nico de Groof/Daniel Casablancas (GS) def. Mustapha Belcora/Giovani Samaha (TROY) 6-4
3. JC Alcala/Eddie Landin (GS) def. Vaclav Slezak/Andre Baldo (TROY) 6-3
 
QUOTABLES FROM COACH KONING
"I want to give credit to Troy. They're such a tough team. They had some injuries which didn't help them. I think there's a good mutual respect for both teams. It's a good rivalry. Both teams were cheering their teams on and I think that's what college tennis should be about."

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