Rock Hill, S.C.----Top-seed Lincoln Memorial topped number two seed Wingate University 5-3 in the championship match of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men’s tennis tournament held at the Memorial Courts of the Winthrop University Athletic Complex Sunday. The Railsplitters led 2-1 before play was suspended Saturday due to rain.

Lincoln Memorial held the 2-1 advantage after the completion of doubles play Saturday. Hannes Ganss and Bastian Guenther put the Railsplitters up with their 8-2 victory on court number two over the Wingate duo of junior Fernando Montemurro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and sophomore Greg Machado (Sao Paulo, Brazil).

Wingate evened the score on court number three as sophomores Matthew Lichtenstein (Darnestown, Md.) and Andrew Owen (Kitchener, Ontario) teamed up to defeat Zack Jones and Gabor Heredi-Szabo 8-3. The final doubles match came down to court number one, where Philipp Hoffman and Tom Goossens outlasted Wingate sophomores Bruno Pudence (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Flavio Rathsam (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in a tightly-contested set, winning 9-8 (7-5) to give the Railsplitters the one-point advantage heading into singles. 

The 2010 tournament MVP, Hoffman put the Railsplitters one point closer to the title on singles court number two, posting a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Lichtenstein in Sunday’s first completed match. Montemurro pulled the Bulldogs back to within one with a straight sets victory on court number six over Goossens 6-2, 6-2. 

Guenther gave LMU its fourth point of the contest on court number three, defeating Owen 6-2, 6-3 to give the Railsplitters a 4-2 edge with three matches to play. Wingate junior Braeden Patchell (Oakville, Ontario) earned the win for the Bulldogs on court number four, defeating Heredi-Szabo 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) to put the match at 4-3 LMU. 

Ganss clinched the match for the Railsplitters on court number one, defeating Pudence to seal the win 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. “The LMU men have set a mark that will be hard for any team to top,” Railsplitter head coach Benny Collins says. “They have refused to lose when it’s been on the line.” 

Collins gives Ganss much credit. “Hannes Ganss came through again at a crucial time for his teammates as he has so many times in the past,” the LMU mentor adds. “For us to beat Wingate in the finals…is a big accomplishment in itself.” 

The Bulldogs (14-5 overall) now wait to see if the NCAA Division II Regional ranking committee will grant them a berth in the upcoming NCAA Division II Southeast Region tournament, while the 2010 SAC tournament champion LMU Railsplitters (19-1 overall) receive the league’s automatic qualification. The NCAA regional tournaments will be played May 6-8. 

“I’m proud of my team and how we fought to the very end, leaving it all on the court,” Wingate head coach Michael Cabana says. “We had a great season and we will work hard to get another opportunity. Congrats to LMU, they played great and I wish them good luck at the regional tournament.” 

2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men’s Tennis Championship
#1 Lincoln Memorial 5, #2 Wingate 3
Apr 24, 2010 at Rock Hill, S.C. (Rock Hill Tennis Club/Winthrop Memorial Courts) 

Singles competition
1. Hannes Ganss (LMU) def. Bruno Pudence (WIN) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
2. Philipp Hoffmann (LMU) def. Matthew Lichtenstein (WIN) 6-2, 6-1
3. Bastian Guenther (LMU) def. Andrew Owen (WIN) 6-2, 6-3
4. Braeden Patchell (WIN) def. Gabor Heredi-Szabo (LMU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
5. Andras Pauko (LMU) vs. Flavio Rathsam (WIN) 5-7, 1-4, unfinished
6. Fernando Montemurro (WIN) def. Tom Goossens (LMU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Hoffmann/Goossens (LMU) def. Pudence/Rathsam (WIN) 9-8 (7-5)
2. Ganss/Guenther (LMU) def. Montemurro/Greg Machado (WIN) 8-2
3. Lichtenstein/Owen (WIN) def. Heredi-Szabo/Zack Jones (LMU) 8-3 

Match Notes
#2 Wingate University 14-5
#1 Lincoln Memorial 19-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,6,3,4,1)
2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men’s tennis tournament championship
LMU will receive SAC’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Regional