GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's tennis team extended its longest winning streak in eight years to nine consecutive victories by defeating Limestone University 4-3 in South Atlantic Conference action Sunday afternoon at the Nichols Tennis Complex.
The 37th-ranked Pioneers (12-3, 5-0 SAC) have their longest winning streak since opening the 2015-16 season with 15 wins in a row. The Pioneers won two of the three doubles matches with the Saints (4-7, 2-4 SAC) to go up 1-0 in the match, then won three straight singles matches to clinch the victory.
In doubles, Rens Verhaar and Tijn van Gorkom swept to a 6-0 win over Ramiro Rincon and Barthelemy Bourdon at flight three, but Limestone tied the match with a victory at flight one. Will Gee and Miles Ray locked up the point for the Pioneers as they beat Louca Bertone and Rodolfo Villavicencio 6-3 at flight two.
The Saints tied the match at 1-1 with a win at flight four of singles, but the Pioneers were able to lock up the win as Gee defeated Villavicencio 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 at flight two for his seventh straight victory, and Yuki Ikeda rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Bourdon at flight six. Anton Krondell clinched the victory as he defeated Andre Zamorano 6-2, 6-4 at flight three, with the Saints winning the final two matches to close the final margin.
Tusculum, which shares first place in the SAC with Wingate at 5-0, hosts third-place Lenoir-Rhyne (5-1) on Friday, March 29 at 1 p.m. The Bears are currently 31st in the latest ITA Division II rankings.
