STARKVILLE, Miss. & ATHENS, Ga. – South Alabama men’s team scored its first win in the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships win in 10 years, while Georgia State women’s team fell in its first-round match.
 
The Jaguars bounced back from dropping the doubles point to take a 4-3 win over No. 21 Memphis in Starkville, Miss. Over in Athens, Ga., the Panthers were blanked 4-0 by host and seventh-seeded Georgia.
 
Down 2-0, South Alabama got its first point from sophomore Loic Cloes’ 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles. After junior Lucas Gonzalez fell at No. 4, fellow junior Sacha Modica took his match 7-5, 6-4 at No. 3 and freshman Max Lapraille battled to a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win. In the only match that went to a third set, senior Olivier Gingras won the final set in dominating fashion at No. 6 to clinch clinched the match.
 
Host Mississippi State is up next for South Alabama on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT). The winner of this second-round match moves on the Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
                                                                             
2018 NCAA DIVISION I TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Men’s First Round
South Alabama 4, #21 Memphis 3
Doubles
1. #40 Ryan Peniston/Andrew Watson (MEM) def. #51 Cloes, Loic/Marzol, Clement (USA) 7-5
2. Gingras, Olivier/Modica, Sacha (USA) def. Kai Lemke/Marshall Sullivan (MEM) 6-2
3. Jan Pallares/Matt Story (MEM) def. Santiago di Loreto/Lapraille, Maxime (USA) 6-4
Singles
1. #36 Ryan Peniston (MEM) def. Marzol, Clement (USA) 6-4, 6-1
2. Cloes, Loic (USA) def. #88 Andrew Watson (MEM) 6-4, 6-1
3. Modica, Sacha (USA) def. Kai Lemke (MEM) 7-5, 6-4
4. Chris Patzanovsky (MEM) def. Gonzalez, Lucas (USA) 7-5, 6-2
5. Gingras, Olivier (USA) def. Jan Pallares (MEM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
6. Lapraille, Maxime (USA) def. Turner Voges (MEM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,2,4,3,6,5)
 
Women’s First Round
#7 Georgia 4, Georgia State 0
Doubles
1. #10 Elena Christofi/Morgan Coppoc (UGA) def. Kristin Rehse/Lara Vovk (GSU) 6-2
2. #26 Mariana Gould/Katarina Jokic (UGA) vs. Damira Muminovic/Daniela Ramirez (GSU) 4-4 (uf)
3. Kennedy Shaffer/Annette Goulak (UGA) def. forfeit (GSU), wf
Singles
1. #12 Katarina Jokic (UGA) vs. Kristin Rehse (GSU) 4-6, 5-2 (uf)
2. #75 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) vs. Daniela Ramirez (GSU) 6-3, 4-3 (uf)
3. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Damira Muminovic (GSU) 6-2, 7-5
4. Elena Christofi (UGA) vs. Lara Vovk (GSU) 7-5, 3-2 (uf)
5. Morgan Coppoc (UGA) def. forfeit (GSU), wf
6. Vivian Wolff (UGA) def. forfeit (GSU), wf
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,6,3)