Box Score ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson men's tennis (14-8, 6-6 SAC) rallied for one of their best wins of the season, taking down Carson-Newman (9-7, 6-5 SAC) by a 4-0 score on Friday afternoon at the Trojan Tennis Complex.
"I'm really proud of the guys and all of their hard work," AU Assistant Coach Kate Drosieko said after the win. "Today, they came out really fired up and brought a ton of energy, which was great to see. This was a must-win in order to get to the [SAC] Tournament, and making it was one of their goals. Being able to see them achieve and reach their goal is really surreal and really awesome. I'm very proud of them, and am excited to see what they do in the tournament."
On the doubles court, AU earned their 7th doubles point in the last 8 matches behind strong play on all three courts. Freshman Jackson Lucas and sophomore Wynn Shioi dominated their way to a 6-2 win at No. 1, and junior Mathis Collignon and sophomore Sky Thavornchaisophon did the same moments later. Senior Patrick Cronin and sophomore Vicent Mico were on serve at No. 3 when play was stopped.
Following the doubles point being clinched, the teams were forced to wait out a 45-minute lightning delay. The Trojans didn't let the delay slow them down, however, taking four first sets.
Mico notched AU's first point of singles, breezing to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 3. Fellow sophomore Thavornchaisophon was right behind him, winning 6-3, 6-4 on court 4.
With the Trojans just one point from the win, Shioi came up clutch. The Las Vegas, Nev. native saved two set points before taking the second set (and match) in a 10-8 tiebreak. His 6-2, 7-6(8) victory gave the Trojans their first win over Carson-Newman since 2022.
With their SAC regular season in the books, the Trojans will await results in the upcoming days to see if they will qualify for the 2025 SAC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, April 16 in Sumter, S.C.
UP NEXT
AU wraps up their regular season with a home matchup against the USC Sumter Fire Ants at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 14. The Trojans blanked the Fire Ants 9-0 in their prior meeting this season.
Anderson 4, Carson-Newman 0
Singles results:
1. Mathis Collignon (AU) vs. Marnix Van Dalen (CNU) 6-3, 4-2 unf.
2. Wynn Shioi (AU) def. Gjorgji Jankulovski (CNU) 6-2, 7-6(8)
3. Vicent Mico (AU) def. Louis Keenan (CNU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Sky Thavornchaisophon (AU) def. Paul Gayk (CNU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Matthew Saunders (CNU) vs. Hampton Goldman (AU) 6-2, 1-5 unf.
6. Leonard Baecker (CNU) vs. Poojith Reddy (AU) 6-4, 4-2 unf.
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2
Doubles results:
1. Jackson Lucas/Wynn Shioi (AU) def. Gjorgji Jankulovski/Louis Keenan (CNU) 6-2
2. Mathis Collignon/Sky Thavornchaisophon (AU) def. Paul Gayk/Marnix Van Dalen (CNU) 6-2
3. Leonard Baecker/Matthew Saunders (CNU) vs. Patrick Cronin/Vicent Mico (AU) 4-3 unf.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
Match Notes:
Anderson 14-8, 6-6 SAC
Carson-Newman 9-7, 6-5 SAC
T - 2:17 (0:45 weather delay)
Att: 75
Written by AU student-athlete Drew Cagle
