Caleb Bailey, Sports Editor
Armstrong’s men’s and women’s tennis teams locked down the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship Sunday, April 24, with big wins over the Columbus State Cougars in the tournament final.
The men claimed their 11th title in the last 12 years while the women’s team won their 13th straight conference title.
For the men’s team, their matchup with the Cougars did not go as well as their regular season meeting, which the Pirates won 9-0. They picked up a hard-fought 5-2 win in the Sunday final.
PBC Tournament Doubles MVPs Jan Porteset and Alberto Caceres Casas defeated No. 10-ranked Marco Almorin and Maciej Kierkus, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles, while Otakar Lucak and Luca Cerin defeated Jorge Vargas and Martynas Zakaitis, 8-2, at No. 3 doubles.
The Cougars fought back with an upset as as No. 30-ranked KP Pannu upset No. 7 Pablo Gor Costales, 6-2, 6-0, to make the score 3-2. However, the Pirates were able to close out the day with the big win
The women’s tennis team won their thirteenth straight PBC championship when they cruised past the No. 8 Cougars 5-0 Sunday. It was a historic day for the Pirates as they clinched their 22nd overall conference title in their 26-year history.
Armstrong State swept all three doubles matches from the Cougars to take a commanding 3-0 lead heading into singles play.
Carolina Prats-Millan and Alice Patch picked up an 8-3 win over Rachael Williams and Oliviera Tadijin at No. 3 doubles, then Nicole Fossa Huergo and Lena Pacholski collected an 8-2 win over Beatriz Leon and Giorgia Vitale at No. 2 doubles.
No. 3-ranked Lena Lutzeier and Diana Stomlega finished off the doubles sweep with an 8-3 win over No. 10-ranked Camila Tobar and Kirsa Utech at No. 1 doubles.
Both teams clinched an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out their opponents in the regional round of the tournament Tuesday, May 3.
