Box ScoreNASHVILLE – In a rematch of last season's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship match, Jacksonville State advanced to the 2015 OVC Men's Tennis Championship semifinals after taking down Belmont, 4-2, on Thursday at Centennial Sportsplex Tennis Center.
The Gamecocks will take on top-seeded Eastern Kentucky in one of the two semifinal contests on Saturday at 2 p.m. EKU won the regular season title with an 8-1 conference mark. Jax State will look to avenge a 5-2 loss to the Colonels earlier in the season in Richmond. Jax State advances to the semifinal round for the seventh time in the last eight years. Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay will square off in the other semifinal match.
JSU, who moved to 11-11 overall, got off to a great start in the match with the key doubles point. Senior
Felipe Diaz was paired with
Jaryd Reese at No. 2 doubles to down the Bruins' duo of Cedric Dujacquier and Caio Niel, 8-3. After BU evened things with a win at No. 1, Sophomore
Dylan Gee, who was named to the league's First Team, teamed up with
Mathias Chaim at No. 3 doubles. The Jax State tandem clinched the point after edging BU's pairing of Robin Demasse and Bruno Russo, 8-7.
The momentum from winning the doubles point continued for JSU as it took a 3-0 lead with wins at No. 5 and No. 1. Reese quick-worked Demasse at No. 5 – 6-2, 6-0 for the second point.
Jefferson Wendler-Filho, a member of the All-OVC Second Team, ousted Mauricio Antum, an OVC First Team selection, 6-2, 6-4.
The Bruins tightened things with two wins at No. 2 and 6. The match would come down to the No. 4 spot as
Pedro Wagner extended Niel to three sets. After Wagner dropped the opening set, 7-5, he bounced back to win the next two sets to clinch the fourth-and-final point. Wagner won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
