SAC Tennis Championship Finals Set

Women's Semifinals

No. 4 Newberry 5, No. 1 Wingate 2

The Newberry women's tennis team upended No. 1-seed and the No. 38 team in the country, Wingate, on Thursday as the Wolves topped the Bulldogs 5-2 at the Rock Hill Tennis Center and earned a spot in the SAC Finals tomorrow.

Newberry (17-7) opened the match with an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles as sophomoreVanessa Ortiz (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and senior Marina Ziehe (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) defeated Tiffany Williams and Sierra Parson of Wingate (19-5).

After seeing their teammates fall at No. 3 doubles, Newberry's top pair of seniors Susana Aguirre (Guayaquil, Ecuador) and Romina Adum (Guayaquil, Ecuador) defeated Ali Evers and Becca Thomas 8-6 and gave Newberry a 2-1 lead over the Bulldogs heading into singles play.

Things started rocky for the Wolves as Ortiz and Aguirre both fell in the first set and Layla Tanik defeated sophomore Tara Lamers (Maastricht, The Netherlands) in straight sets at No. 4. Aguirre right the ship for the Wolves as she picked up a second set victory before defeating Evers in three sets at No. 1.

Ortiz followed Aguirre's blueprint and battled back from a set down to defeat Thomas at No. 3 singles. The match was decided at No. 5singles as senior Arielle Strong (Cassatt, S.C.) battled to a pair of tight set victories to knock off Morgan Winston in two sets.

The Wolves' victory over the Bulldogs is the first against a ranked opponent this season and is the first win against Wingate for Newberry women's tennis in exactly seven years.

Newberry heads to the championship match of the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Championship for the first time since the 2007 season. The Wolves meet No. 2-seed Tusculum at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.

No. 2 Tusculum 5, No. 3 Queens 3

The Tusculum College women's tennis team rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 5-3 victory over Queens University of Charlotte in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament semi-finals at the Rock Hill Tennis Center Thursday. The TC Pioneers (21-2 overall) will face Newberry College in Friday's championship match. First serve is slated for 9 a.m.

Queens led 3-2 after victories at the top two singles flights. Tusculum sophomore Kealee Heffner (Cumming, Ga.) started the rally for the Pioneers, taking a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Queens freshman Claire Hamilton (Charleston, W.Va.) at the number four singles position. Heffner is 20-1 overall in dual match singles play this season.

TC sophomore Adrienne Kaye (Egg Harbor City, N.J.) gave the Pioneers the lead for good with her 6-3, 6-4 win over Queens freshman Jessee Clauson (Boulder, Colo.) at the number five singles spot. Pioneer junior Kate Hutchinson (Calhoun, Ga.) won the deciding point, claiming a 6-2, 7-5 decision over Royals freshman Jaclyn Rock (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the number three singles match. Kaye has 21 singles wins this year, while Hutchinson has 19.

Kaye won two matches for the Pioneers, as she teamed with sophomore Erin Mills (Duluth, Ga.) for a thrilling 9-7 victory over Rock and Hamilton in the number two doubles match. Tusculum sophomores Emily Waters (Canton, Ga.) and Amanda Sumner (Marietta, Ga.) earned the other doubles point for the Pioneers with their 8-2 triumph in the number three doubles match.

SAC Player of the Year and Queens senior Christina Rustscheff (Toronto, Ontario) won twice for the Royals. She paired with freshman Melissa Laing (Johannesburg, South Africa) for an 8-5 win at the number one doubles position. In singles, Rustscheff defeated Tusculum freshman Sarah Baker (Marietta, Ga.) 6-0, 6-2 in the battle of the number one players. The Royals complete the 2014 campaign 15-4 overall.

Men's Semifinals

No. 1 Wingate 5, No. 4 Queens 1

The number 34 Wingate University men's tennis team advances to the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament championship match for the fifth consecutive year, thanks to a 5-1 victory over Queens University of Charlotte in Thursday's semi-finals. The top-seeded Bulldogs are 17-7 overall, while the Royals conclude the 2014 season 13-6 overall.

Wingate sophomore Sebastian Hall (Lörrach, Germany) and freshman Filippo Pezzoli (Milan, Italy) won two matches each for the victorious Bulldogs. Hall and junior Neal Towlson (Warwick, Bermuda) gave the 'Dogs a 1-0 lead with an 8-5 triumph at the number one doubles flight. Pezzoli and classmate Tyler Schofer (Graham, N.C.) made the score 2-1 Wingate with an 8-5 decision at the number three doubles spot.

Pezzoli nudged Wingate's lead to 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Queens senior Ignacio Casali (Farmingdale, N.Y.) at the number three singles position. Hall earned the fourth team point with his 6-2, 6-2 win over Royals freshman Jules Athalis (Bourges, France) in the number two singles match.

Bulldog freshman Connor Kudrick (Spring, Texas) sealed the deal, delivering a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Queens senior Andre Bafume (Sao Paulo, Brazil) at the number four singles flight. Kudrick is 22-0 overall in dual match singles competition this season.

Queens picked up its point at the number two doubles flight. Bafume paired with sophomore Ole-Jacob Meum (Stabekk, Norway) to defeat Kudrick and WU senior Ryan Forbes (Charlotte, N.C.) 8-6. The Royals held the lead in the two unfinished matches.

No. 2 Tusculum 5, No. 3 Coker 4

Tusculum College sophomore Nicolas Planchard (Frisange, Luxembourg) won the deciding match, lifting the Pioneers to a 5-4 victory over number 33 Coker College in the semi-finals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men's tennis tournament Thursday at the Rock Hill Tennis Center. Tusculum (18-4 overall) will face number 34 Wingate in Friday's 12 noon championship match.

Planchard rallied for a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Coker sophomore Tom Sizeland (Hamilton, New Zealand) at the number two singles flight. Planchard helped stake the Pioneers to a 2-1 doubles lead by teaming with TC freshman Leon Seiz (Ludwigsburg, Germany) to take an 8-4 win at the number three position. Tusculum also claimed a victory at the number two doubles flight.

Coker won the number four and the number three singles matches to take a 3-2 edge. Tusculum knotted the score 3-3 when junior Lukas Winkelmann (Boblingen, Germany) defeated Coker sophomore Andre Staab (Aschaffenburg, Germany) 6-4, 7-5 in the number one singles match. Staab is the number 22-ranked player on the NCAA Division II singles chart.

The Cobras regained the lead when sophomore Martin Moncayo (Quito, Ecuador) defeated Seiz 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 at the number five singles spot. Pioneer junior Joseph Elphingstone (Calhoun, Ga.) tied the score 4-4 when he earned a 6-4, 6-1 number six singles win over Cobra sophomore Zach Grooms (Hartsville, S.C.), setting the stage for Planchard's heroics.

Coker senior James Corfield (Auckland, New Zealand) won two matches for the Cobras. He started his afternoon by teaming with Staab to take an 8-4 victory over Lukas Winkelmann and his sophomore brother Jonas Winkelmann (Boblingen, Germany) in the number one doubles match. Corfield defeated TC freshman David Siegle (Ditzingen, Germany) 7-5, 6-2 at the number four singles position.