serveitup911
Semi-Pro
As the title says, we lost 4-3 to Clemson. The match started at Clemson at 2:00 under very overcast skies. Our #2 doubles team won quickly with a score of 8-1. Our #1 doubles team lost 8-5. So, the doubles point came down to the #3 team. The match was very close. Eventually, Furman went up 7-5. Our guys had 0-40 on Clemson's serve (triple match point), but the Clemson player hit some really good first serves and they were able to win that game. Our guys were still up 7-6, serving for the match. They played a tight game and were quickly broken at love. Now 7-7 and both teams hold for 8-8. In the tiebreaker, Clemson had a match point which our guys saved. Then, Furman had a match point which Clemson saved. Eventually, Clemson won the tiebreaker for a 9-8 win, and the doubles point. Toward the end of doubles, it started to rain, so the singles was moved inside. At Clemson, there are only 4 indoor courts, so the top 4 singles matches went on first. Our #1 player lost 6-3, 6-3. He did not have a good day today; he was not happy with how he played. Our #2 player was able to win in 3 sets after winning the first set in a tiebreak. I play #3, and played a guy who has played mostly at #1 this season (he was moved to #2 in their last match and #3 today). He was a very tough player (extremely consistent, good forehand, consistent backhand, and unbelievably fast). I lost the first set 6-4. There were more breaks of serve than holds in that set. In the second set, I eliminated some errors and played very aggressive tennis to win the set 6-4. In the third set, I got down a break, 3-0. I was able to win the next four games to go up a break, 4-3. Unfortunately, I was not able to win any more games. He basically did not miss a shot those last 3 games to win 6-4. Our match lasted over 3 1/2 hours and was played with long, grinding baseline rallies. It was a very physical, hard hitting, and well played match by both of us. We won a very tight match at #4, winning 6-7, 6-4, 7-5. That match was also over 3 1/2 hours. When our #1 player finished, our #5 player took the court. He got off to a 4-1 lead, but ended up losing 7-6, 6-2. He had a back injury that flared up, and that gave him lots of trouble. When our #2 player finished, our #6 took the court. He lost the first set 6-2, and was really outplayed that set. He changed up his game style to chipping off both wings and rushing the net when possible. This worked really well because the other played thrived on pace. Our guy ended up winning 6-0 in the 3rd. This was a really big match for us because Clemson has refused to play us in years past. This was the first time we have played them in 5 years, and we felt we really could win and show that a school with 2,600 students in the Southern Conference could beat an large ACC school. It didn't happen today, but we fought hard after the disappointment of doubles, with losing 5 match points for the doubles point. The fact that 4 singles matches went 3 sets also shows how close the match was. Quite simply, it was the closest match I have ever been a part of in my 4 years of college tennis. You really had to be there to understand how intense this match was and how loud it was indoors. Fans were screaming constantly! The match ended at 8:10, so it lasted over 6 hours! Here is a link to the article about the match: http://furmanpaladins.cstv.com/sports/m-tennis/recaps/021109aaa.html
Our next competition is a double header on Tuesday, 2/17 against UNC-Charlotte and Washington & Lee.
We are currently ranked #70.
Our next competition is a double header on Tuesday, 2/17 against UNC-Charlotte and Washington & Lee.
We are currently ranked #70.
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