TCU
New Mexico
No. 34 TCU clinches share of MWC title on Saturday
4/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 12, 2008
PROVO, Utah - The No. 34 TCU men's tennis team claimed a share of the Mountain West Conference regular season title on Saturday with a 4-3 victory over No. 51 New Mexico. The Horned Frogs improved to 18-6 overall and 5-1 in MWC play, while the Lobos dropped to 18-7 on the season and 5-1 in league action."I'm really happy about the fact that we were playing at altitude and we were able to overcome that after a tough first day," said TCU head coach Dave Borelli. "We had our backs against the wall after Thursday, knowing we had to win our next two matches. The schedule we had this year with all of the road and indoor matches made us tougher.
"For me personally, winning a Mountain West Conference title on both the men's and women's side at TCU is really a wonderful thing. We're looking forward to playing on our home courts for the Championships in front of the home crowd."
TCU began at a disadvantage, dropping doubles matches at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions to start Saturday's contest down 1-0. Cosmin Cotet and Adrian Simon provided the Frogs with the lone win, defeating Chris and Johnny Parkes by a score of 8-6.
Cotet, ranked No. 35 nationally, earned the first singles win for TCU with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 41 Max Jones at the top position. The win was Cotet's 18th this season and seventh over a ranked opponent.
Emanu Brighiu, a freshman from Iasi, Romania, defeated Johnny Parkes at the No. 2 spot by a score of 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 10-8 this season.
Fellow freshman Casey Powers added a big win for the Frogs, defeating Joe Wood at the No. 6 position by a score of 6-4, 7-6.
"Casey really played great and was the key to our win today," Borelli said.
Zach Nichols, another newcomer from Austin, Texas, came through in another clutch situation, clinching the match with a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Miles Bugby at the No. 4 slot.
The Frogs will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CDT against SMU in Dallas, Texas.
No. 34 TCU (18-6, 5-1) def. No. 51 New Mexico (18-7, 5-1), 4-3
SINGLES
1. No. 35 Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. No. 41 Max Jones (UNM) 6-1, 6-4
2. Emanu Brighiu (TCU) def. Johnny Parkes (UNM) 6-4, 6-4
3. Graeme Kassautzki (UNM) def. Kriegler Brink (TCU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Miles Bugby (UNM) 6-3, 7-6
5. Kamil Pajkowski (UNM) def. Adrian Simon (TCU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Joe Wood (UNM) 6-4, 7-6
DOUBLES
1. Jones/Pajkowski (UNM) def. Brighiu/Brink (TCU) 8-6
2. Cotet/Simon (TCU) def. Parkes/Parkes (UNM) 8-6
3. Kassautzki/Wood (UNM) def. Nichols/Seider (TCU) 8-2
Players Mentioned
