Clemson Defeats Boston College 5-2

April 4, 2009

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – Clemson defeated Boston College 5-2 in a men’s Atlantic Coast Conference tennis match at Chestnut Hill, MA on Friday evening.

With the win, Clemson has a 10-10 record overall and a 2-6 mark in the ACC. The Tigers are ranked 68th nationally according to the latest ITA rankings.

Boston College falls to 13-9 overall, and 0-8 in the ACC. The Eagles are ranked for the first time this season in the latest ITA poll as Boston College is 71st in the rankings.

Clemson lost the doubles point as the Eagles won all three matches. However Clemson came back and won five of the six singles matches to claim the league win. At number one singles, the Tigers’ Carlos Alvarez defeated Thomas Nolan 6-2, 7-6.

On Friday, Clemson and Boston College met for the eighth time on the tennis courts. The Tigers now lead the overall series 7-1. The series began in 1940 as the Tigers defeated the Eagles 7-0 at Clemson, SC on March 28 that season. It was almost three month after the two teams met on the football field in the 1940 Cotton Bowl that the Tigers won 6-3. The next season, Clemson won over Boston College 9-0 at Tigertown on April 15, 1941. The series was renewed 64 years later in the 2005 season.

“We played well today in singles,” said Clemson Head Coach Chuck McCuen. “We played indoors, and that made it a long match. We continue to struggle in doubles and we are working on different combinations. We fought hard after losing the doubles point. I’m impressed with the way freshman Wesley Moran is playing. Ike Belk continues to play well. This was a nice win for us. We are moving in the right direction, and by the time the ACC Tournament rolls around, we should be playing with a lot of confidence.”

Clemson will play Maryland on Sunday morning at College Park, MD in the Tigers’ next action. Match time is set for 11:00 a.m. Maryland has a 7-10 record overall, and a 1-7 ledger in the ACC. The Terrapins have been ranked in the 70s this year in the ITA poll but were not ranked in the latest listing. Georgia Tech defeated the Terrapins 5-2 on Friday afternoon in ACC action.

This will be the 56th meeting between Clemson and Maryland on the tennis courts. Clemson leads the overall series 41-14. The series started in 1954.

The 2009 season marks the 100th year of men’s tennis at Tigertown. Clemson first sponsored men’s tennis in 1910 when two Tiger tennis players entered the annual state tournament. The first dual match was played in the 1921 season as the Tigers defeated Wofford 2-0 on April 28, in Spartanburg, SC.

Clemson 5, Boston College 2

Doubles 1. Thomas Nolan/Erik Kreutzer (BC) d. Carlos Alvarez/Rok Bizak (CU) 8-6 2. Alex Skinner/Brian Locklear (BC) d. Ike Belk/Gera Boryachinskiy (CU) 8-7 3. Akash Muppidi/ Adam Davison (BC) d. Robert Pietrucha/Kevin Galloway (CU) 8-4

Singles 1. Carlos Alvarez (CU) d. Thomas Nolan (BC) 6-2, 7-6 2. Akash Muppidi (BC) d. Rok Bizjak (CU) 6-4, 6-4 3. Ike Belk (CU) d. Erik Kreutzer (BC) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 4. Kevin Fleck (CU) d. Alex Skinner (BC) 6-1, 6-1 5. Kevin Galloway (CU) d. Brendon Wong (BC) 6-2, 6-3 6. Wesley Moran (CU) d. Brian Locklear (BC) 6-0, 6-2