April 8, 2004
Freshman Zachary Rath posted a come-from-behind win over Ben Atkinson at No. 5 singles as the No. 34 Georgia Tech men’s tennis team posted a 4-3 win over No. 36 South Carolina. With the win, the Yellow Jackets improve to 14-6 on the season while the Gamecocks fall to 14-9.
South Carolina jumped off on the right foot, as USC took the doubles point with two quick victories. Tom Eklund and Marcus Westman notched a quick 8-1 victory at No. 2 doubles over Jason Pieters and West Nott. Then Ben Atkinson and Carl Wermee topped Zachary Rath and Marko Rajevac at No. 3 doubles, 8-5 to seal the doubles point.
In singles action, Carl Wermee recorded his third consecutive singles victory with his decisive 6-1, 6-1 win over Jason Pieters at No. 3 singles, giving Carolina the 2-0 lead. Tech cut the lead to 2-1 as Joao Menano beat Pedro Rodrigues at No. 6 singles, 6-2, 6-1. Carolina pulled ahead by two again with a 6-1, 7-5 victory at No. 2 singles by Tom Eklund over Jose Luis Muguruza.
The Jackets then began a rally as Scott Schnugg notched a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Marcus Westman at No. 1 singles. That was followed by a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles for the Yellow Jackets’ Nott over Carolina’s Geraldo Knorr. Rath then sealed the victory over Carolina with a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Atkinson at No. 5 singles.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action Sunday when they host Miami (Fl.) at 1 p.m. at the Bill Moore Tennis Center. The match marks the final home outing for seniors Schnugg, Pieters, Nott and Menano.
ResultsNo. 34 Georgia Tech 4 No. 36 South Carolina 3DoublesOrder of Finish: 2, 3*1. Geraldo Knorr / Pedro Rodrigues (USC) vs/ Jose Luis Muguruza/Scott Schnugg (GT), 5-2, susp.2. Tom Eklund / Marcus Westman (USC) d. West Nott/Jason Pieters (GT), 8-13. Ben Atkinson / Carl Wermee (USC) d. Marko Rajevac/Zachary Rath (GT), 8-5
Singles Order of Finish: 3, 6, 2, 1,4, 5* 1. Scott Schnugg (GT) d. Marcus Westman (USC), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 2. Tom Eklund (USC) d. Jose Luis Muguruza (GT), 6-1, 7-5 3. Carl Wermee (USC) d. Jason Pieters (GT), 6-1, 6-1 4. West Nott (GT) d. Geraldo Knorr (USC), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 5. Zachary Rath (GT) d. Ben Atkinson (USC), 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (4) 6. Joao Menano (GT) d. Pedro Rodrigues (USC), 6-2, 6-1
