TIGERVILLE, SC – The 40th-ranked Francis Marion University men's tennis team blanked home-standing North Greenville University 5-0 on Saturday (Apr. 15) in Conference Carolinas play, and in the process captured the regular-season championship and the No.1 seed in this coming week's conference tournament.
 
Francis Marion ends the regular season 12-7 overall and 7-1 in the league play.  The top-seeded Patriots advance to the tournament semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center.  The three-day event begins with first-round matches on Friday, and the championship match is set for Sunday.
 
The regular season crown is the first for the Francis Marion program since the Patriots shared the Peach Belt Conference title in 1999.
 
Juniors Liam Day and Leonel Gonzalez continued their strong doubles play (12-4 season record) with a 6-4 win at the No.1 position, while sophomores Martin Barbera and Luis Lopez Sarasa followed with a 6-4 victory at No.2 to clinch the doubles point for FMU.
 
Barbera opened singles play with a 6-2, 6-1 win at the No.2 rung to up the Patriot lead to 2-0.  Gonzalez recorded a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the No.4 spot, followed by sophomore Harri Lloyd-Evans (7-6 [7-3], 6-2) and Day (6-3, 6-2) winning almost simultaneously at positions No. 3 and 1 respectively.
 
Barbera and Day lead FMU with identical 15-4 singles marks, while Gonzalez has also reached double-digit singles wins at 11-7.
 
 
Men's Tennis Match Results
04/15/2023 at Tigerville, S.C.  (Vance Tennis Complex)
#40 Francis Marion University 5, North Greenville 0
Singles competition
1. Liam Day (FMM) def. Lucas Cardoso (NGU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Martin Barbera (FMM) def. Tuur Vos (NGU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Harri Lloyd-Evans (FMM) def. Dean Kingsley (NGU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
4. Leonel Gonzalez (FMM) def. Juan Jose Arbelaez (NGU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Joao Di Salvi (NGU) vs. Luis Lopez Sarasa (FMM) 4-6, 5-3, unfinished
6. Kyle Praschan (NGU) vs. Adam Ernberg (FMM) 5-7, 0-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Liam Day/Leonel Gonzalez (FMM) def. Tuur Vos/Anthony Cassini (NGU) 6-4
2. Martin Barbera/Luis Lopez Sarasa (FMM) def. Lucas Cardoso/Juan Jose Arbelaez (NGU) 6-4
3. Kyle Praschan/Dean Kingsley (NGU) def. Harri Lloyd-Evans/Austin Vienna (FMM) 6-4
 
Match Notes:  Francis Marion University 12-7 (7-1 CC); National ranking #40
North Greenville 3-12 (1-5 CC)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,4,3,1)