Blue Hose advance to Big South championship
The PC men’s tennis team celebrates its return to the Big South Championship Finals Friday afternoon in Charlotte.
Behind four singles wins, the Presbyterian men’s tennis team defeated Campbell 4-2 to advance to the Big South Championship Finals for the sixth time in the program’s history.
The Blue Hose (15-9) will play Gardner-Webb, which defeated Radford in the other semifinal match, for the Big South Tournament Championship at the Marion Diehl Tennis Center in Charlotte at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“You have to give a ton of credit to Campbell they came out strong,” Presbyterian Coach John Collins said. “We showed an incredible will to fight and found a way to win the match. We are looking forward to playing for the Big South Championship tomorrow.”
Campbell (14-7) won two doubles matches to claim the doubles point. At number one doubles, Presbyterian’s Dusan Milanovic and Max Benson, who are ranked No. 53 in the ITA Double Rankings, started the doubles matches off with a 6-3 win at number one. The victory was the pair’s sixth straight and 13th overall. Campbell won at number three and two doubles to take a 1-0 lead.
PC rallied with four singles wins to earn the overall victory. At number one singles, Milanovic, who is ranked No. 63 in the ITA singles rankings, collected his 11th straight and 18th overall win with a 6-1, 6-4 victory which tied the match at one. At number six singles, PC’s David Mamalat recorded his seventh straight win with a 6-4, 6-2 victory giving the Blue Hose the lead for good. At number five singles, Javier Matos won his 14th straight and his 17th overall match with a 6-4, 6-2 decision increasing PC’s lead to 3-1. Campbell cut PC’s lead in half with a three sets win at number two. The match came down to who won at number three and/or four singles. At number three singles, Sebastian Dominguez lost the first set, 6-4, then he rallied to win the next two sets 6-0, 6-4 to clinch the win sending the Blue Hose to the Championship Finals. The win was Dominguez’s fourth straight and 10th of the season.
PC won the Big South Tournament Championship in 2017 and 2021. The Blue Hose have made the Finals six times: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2023.
The victory was PC’s seventh straight, and the Blue Hose have won 11 of their last 13 matches.
