March 22, 2013
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AUBURN - The 35th-ranked Auburn men's tennis team fell to No. 34 South Carolina, 5-2, on Friday afternoon in an indoor match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Tigers fell to 10-6 overall, 2-4 in SEC play, while South Carolina improved to 12-7 (2-3).
"It was a tough match," Auburn head coach Eric Shore said. "Over the course of a long tough match, we go away for periods of time and I think it's coming back to bite us right now. We have to compete the entire time. I think we're a little sloppy at times and we have to get better at that. We have to go back and play Sunday against a good team, and we have to improve on that."
In doubles, the duo of junior Dennis Lengsfeld and senior Lucas Lopasso fell to the Gamecocks' Kyle Koch and Harry Menzies, 8-4 on court two. South Carolina clinched the doubles point when the No. 3 tandem of junior Daniel Cochrane and senior Andreas Mies were defeated by the No. 50 pair of Chip Cox and Tsvetan Mihov, 8-5 at the top spot.
The team of sophomore Lukas Ollert and freshman Joseph Van Dooren were unable to claim a victory when doubles play was halted after the clinching point.
In singles, No. 46 Mies earned a 6-3, 6-0 victory over No. 106 Mihov at the top spot to even the match at 1-1, but Carolina reclaimed the lead on court five as Lopasso fell 6-2, 6-2 to Kyle Koch. Lengsfeld defeated Cox 6-4, 7-6 (1), on court four to even the score at 2-2, but Carolina won the final three matches to secure the victory.
Cochrane lost a hard-fought match, 6-3, 7-6 (7), to Andrew Adams at the No. 2 position, to give the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead. On court six, Harry Menzies clinched the match for the Gamecocks winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Gamecocks picked up a fifth point when Thiago Pinheiro downed 85th-ranked Ollert at the No. 5 position, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1.
The Tigers will return to action for another Southeastern Conference home match as they clash with No. 18 Florida this Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
#34 South Carolina 5, #35 Auburn 2
Singles
1. #46 Andreas Mies (AU) def. #106 Tsvetan Mihov (SC) 6-3, 6-0
2. Andrew Adams (SC) def. #86 Daniel Cochrane (AU) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
3. Thiago Pinheiro (SC) def. #85 Lukas Ollert (AU) 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1
4. Dennis Lengsfeld (AU) def. Chip Cox (SC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Kyle Koch (SC) def. Lucas Lopasso (AU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Harry Menzies (SC) def. Joseph Van Dooren (AU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
1. #50 Chip Cox/Tsvetan Mihov (SC) def. #3 Daniel Cochrane/Andreas Mies (AU) 8-5
2. Kyle Koch/Harry Menzies (SC) def. Dennis Lengsfeld/Lucas Lopasso (AU) 8-4
3. Lukas Ollert/Joseph Van Dooren (AU) vs. Ben Barnette/Thiago Pinheiro (SC) 6-7, unfinished
Match Notes:
South Carolina 12-7, 2-3 SEC; National ranking #34
Auburn 10-6, 2-4 SEC; National ranking #35
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,5,4,2,6,3)
T - 3:54