STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern men's tennis team defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in its first home match of the season on Saturday.
The Eagles' victory was also the first win for Jeremy Bayon as a Division I head coach.
Doubles action started with the Eagles jumping on top with two quick wins at the numbers 1 and 3 positions. The No. 1 pair for GS, Tao Castillo and Jacob Mitchell - playing together for the first time - set the tone by posting a decisive 6-0 win. Playing at the third position, Pol del Castillo and Laurent Julia Calac followed up with a strong showing and clinched the doubles point for the Eagles with a 6-2 victory. At No. 2 doubles, Alexandros Roumpis and Valentin Dun could not overcome a slow start and while competing hard, came up short 6-4.
Single actions started with the Eagles leading the dual match 1-0. The Runnin' Bulldogs came out with a lot of energy and got on the scoreboard when Laurent Julia Calac was defeated at the No. 5 position 6-4, 6-0. Dimitirs Paliouras, playing on court 6 and Tao Castillo, playing on court 2, both earned three-set victories 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-7(8), 6-1, respectively, to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead. The clinching point came from court No. 1 where Pol del Castillo overcame the loss of the first set to clinch the Eagles' victory with a 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-1 win. Alex Roumpis and Valentin Dun both pushed their matches to three sets, but while showing great competitiveness, ended up dropping their matches, 7-5, 6-7(5), 1-0 (5) and 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, respectively.
QUOTE FROM COACH BAYON: "What a gritty win by the Eagles! I am proud of the courage and relentless effort our team played with today. After we won the doubles point, Gardner-Webb brought a lot of energy and good quality tennis into the singles play. Initially being down on four out of six courts, we kept on competing and fighting. I feel our fitness and growing confidence level helped turn a few matches around and secure the victory. We are going to build upon this success and we look forward to playing again on Thursday, February 10.
"I would like to thank everyone for coming to the match and supporting us. It means so much to the players to compete in front of our fans as they really feed off of that special environment."
RESULTS
Doubles
Jacob Mitchell/Tao Castillo (GS) def. Putter/Van Wyk (GWU) 6-0
Harris/Enslin (GWU) def. Alex Roumpis/Valentin Dun (GS), 6-4
Pol del Castillo/Laurent Julia Calac (GS) def. Spring/Butler (GWU) 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
Pol del Castillo (GS) def. Putter (GWU) 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-1
Tao Castillo (GS) def. Van Wyn (GWU) 6-1, 6-7(8), 6-1
Harris (GS) def. Alex Roumpis (GWU) 7-5, 6-7, 1-0 (5)
Dias (GWU) def. Valentin Dun (GS) 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
Lepine (GWU) def. Laurent Julia Calac (GS) 6-4, 6-0
Dimitris Paliouras (GS) def. Enslin (GWU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 2, 1, 3, 4
