AUBURN, Ala. – Senior Brandon Laubser was a winner in both singles and doubles on his Senior Day, but No. 18 South Carolina won the team match 5-2 in SEC men's tennis Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn got off to a quick start in doubles. Nationally ranked for the first time this season, No. 62 Laubser and Tad Maclean defeated South Carolina's No. 72-ranked team of Paul Jubb and Raphael Lambling 6-2. The Tigers clinched the doubles point when Matteo DeVincentis and Filippo Mora won a tiebreaker 7-5 on court two to post a 7-6 win over Jake Beasley and Joseph Brailovsky.
Laubser continued the momentum, winning his first set 6-0 and taking the match on court five over Brailovsky by a 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 score for the Tigers' lone singles point of the afternoon.
"We came out with a lot of energy in doubles and had opportunities," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. "Court one did a good job of finishing. You just put yourself in a position to win; it was good that Filippo and Matteo came through to get the doubles point.
"In singles, we just didn't come out ready. I knew South Carolina was going to be tough at the one, two, and three spots and they were. It was a good effort for Brandon to get it done in the end, but we talk a lot about scoreboard pressure. When you win the first set 6-0 and you are up 2-0, 3-1, that's scoreboard pressure and you have to close it out, so that the other guys feel like we have that scoreboard pressure. That's where we don't do a good enough job; we struggle to put the nail in the coffin and take our foot off the accelerator. The guys just need to learn from that."
As part of senior weekend, Laubser was honored during Friday's match. A four-year letterwinner from Johannesburg, South Africa, Laubser has 66 career wins in singles and 43 in doubles and has been part of 48 team wins for Auburn. An accounting major, he has been recognized as an ITA Scholar-Athlete and an Academic Top Tiger and is a member of the SEC academic honor roll and Chi Alpha Sigma national student-athlete honor society.
Auburn is now 12-16 for the spring season and looking for its first conference win, while South Carolina is 15-6 (5-5 SEC).
Sunday, Auburn closes out the home regular season hosting SEC leader No. 2 Florida at noon. The first 100 fans will receive free sno-cones and a number of giveaway items will be available. All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
#18 South Carolina 5, Auburn 2
Singles
#6 Paul Jubb (USC) def. Matteo DeVincentis (AU) 6-4, 6-1
#113 Daniel Rodrigues (USC) def. Tad Maclean (AU) 6-1, 6-3
Raphael Lambling (USC) def. Filippo Mora (AU) 7-6 (4), 6-0
Beau Pelletier (USC) def. Tim Dollman (AU) 6-2, 6-3
Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Joseph Brailovsky (USC) 6-0, 4-6, 7-5
Thomas Brown (USC) def. Diego Chavarria (AU) 6-0, 5-7, 5-3 retired
Doubles
#62 Laubser/Maclean (AU) def. #72 Jubb/Lambling (USC) 6-2
DeVincentis/Mora (AU) v Brailovsky/Jake Beasley (USC)
Pelletier/Rodrigues (USC) def. Anders Fry/Chavarria (AU) 7-5
Time of match: 3:05; Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3,2; Singles: 1,2,4,3,5,6