Dukes Season Ends In CAA Semifinals

Friday, April 19

Greensboro, N.C.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

UNCW

4/19/2019 6:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The fourth-seeded James Madison men's tennis team closed out its season with a hard-fought loss to one-seeded UNCW in the semifinal round of the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association Championship, falling 4-1 on Friday afternoon at the Piedmont Tennis Center.

JMU completed its 2018-19 campaign with a 17-8 record. The Dukes' 17 wins is the most since posting a 23-6 record in 1982-83.

DOUBLES
Juniors Paul Mendoza and Tate Steinour were the first duo to finish, picking up a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles. UNCW won 6-3 on court three, putting the deciding point at No. 1. Senior Pierre Kohler and sophomore Alvaro Arce gave JMU a 1-0 lead with a 7-5 tiebreak victory.

SINGLES
Kohler and Arce both won their first sets 6-3 and 6-1, respectively, before UNCW forced a third. Mendoza fell in the first, but came back in set two with a 6-1 win for another third-set battle. The Seahawks won all three and clinched the match with victory on court one (3-6, 6-2, 6-4).

Sophomore Gonzalo Adis claimed the first set at No. 5, winning 6-1 before the match stopped at 1-1 in the second. Steinour began his match on court six, but it would go unfinished.

QUOTING HEAD COACH STEVE SECORD
"I'm so proud of this group and what they accomplished this year. Our goal was to play our best tennis at the conference tourney and they did that. They work hard and do things the right way – as a coach, I can't ask for much more. Go Dukes!"

QUOTING ASSISTANT COACH JASON SINKOFF
"The guys left everything they had on the court today. In doubles, we played with the mentality of setting up our partners on service and return games and that's exactly what we did. In singles, we had our opportunities and came up a little short."

"I love this team and am very appreciative of how hard they worked every single day. WE will use this match as motivation for next season. Everyone will be back besides Pierre and they know what it takes to reach our goals. Pierre was a great leader on and off the court – all of our returners are better because of the dedication and leadership he showed every day."