Feb. 16, 2008

Box Score

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell rebounded from an early doubles' point loss by claiming four of six singles matches and rallied past East Carolina 4-3 in non-conference men's tennis action Saturday afternoon at the Nisbet Tennis Center.

The loss snapped a four-match winning streak for the Pirates, who dropped their overall spring record to 5-4. On the other hand, the win extended the Camels' victory string to four straight and improved their mark to 5-2.

East Carolina jumped out to an early 1-0 team advantage with a pair of doubles victories. Despite an 8-5 win by Gabriel Delarue and Davy Sum over Jaroslav Horvath and Henrique Viana at the No. 1 position, the Pirates clinched the point by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 matchups - using a 9-8 triumph by Aleksey Kochetov and Henrik Skalmerud along with an 8-1 victory by Bryan Oakley and Stephen Whitwell.

After the Camels evened the match with three singles wins at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 positions, Marc Sifre battled back from a first-set loss and rallied past Skalmerud 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 at the No. 4 slot to secure the game-winning point. Viana and Whitwell both notched three-set singles wins for ECU, posting 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 and 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 victories over Larbi Lamzouri (No. 3) and Loukas Wallaart (No. 6), respectively.

East Carolina will return to action next weekend when it opens league play at a Conference USA satellite tourney in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Pirates will face UAB Friday, Southern Miss Saturday before closing out with a meeting against UCF Sunday.

CAMPBELL 4, EAST CAROLINA 3
Singles Play
No. 1 - Davy Sum (CAM) def. Jaroslav Horvath (ECU); 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 - Gabriel Delarue (CAM) def. Aleksey Kochetov (ECU); 6-2, 7-6
No. 3 - Henrique Viana (ECU) def. Larbi Lamzouri (CAM); 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
No. 4 - Marc Sifre (CAM) def. Henrik Skalmerud (ECU); 6-7, 6-3, 7-6
No. 5 - Sebastian Thesleff (CAM) def. Bryan Oakley (ECU); 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
No. 6 - Stephen Whitwell (ECU) def. Loukas Wallaart (CAM); 0-6, 6-4, 6-0
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Gabriel Delarue/Davy Sum (CAM) def. Horvath/Viana (ECU); 8-5
No. 2 - Kochetov/Skalmerud (ECU) def. Lamzouri/Sifre (CAM); 9-8
No. 3 - Oakley/Whitwell (ECU) def. Thesleff/Wallaart (CAM); 8-1
Team Records: East Carolina 5-4, Campbell 5-2