TAMPA- The University of South Florida men's tennis team was unable to manage a weekend split after claiming the doubles point as the Bulls dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 55 Virginia Commonwealth University at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond, Va. Sunday afternoon.

For the first time all season, the Bulls dropped a match after gaining the doubles points. USF jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as the newly formed team of sophomores Lucas Jovita and Romain Deridder registered a win over Filip Svensson and Martin Schulhauser, 8-5 in the No. 2 doubles.

The clinching win came from the No. 3 doubles pairing as a pair of freshmen, Wael Kilani and Yannick Yoshizawa, teamed up to take care of Thibault Charron and Bobo Delemark, 8-6, to give the Bulls the lead.

Heading into singles action, it would be senior Mahmoud Hamed extending the Bulls lead to 2-0 with a quick straight set win over Ben Bouhana, 6-2, 6-0. Hamed is now 14-5 and 16-5 overall. Hamed is now two shy of 50 career wins.

Despite taking the early 2-0 lead, USF would drop the next four matches as the Rams tallied wins in the No. 2, 6, 3 positions. VCU would clinch the win when Bulls No. 1 Lucas Jovita fell to Charron, 7-6, after holding a 5-3 lead in the first set. He would than drop the second 6-2 thus clinching the match for the Ram's.

With the dual decided, the Deridder would grinf out a three match over Svensonn to give the Bulls a third point. Deridder dropped the first set, 6-3, but then stormed back to win the second and third sets, 6-3, 7-5.

With the loss, the Bulls fall to 10-8 on the season. The Bulls will now be off until April 13 when they take on Marquette in the regular season finale.



VCU 4, SOUTH FLORIDA 3

April 5, 2009

Thalhimer Tennis Center

Singles

1. Thibaut Charron (VCU) def. Lucas Jovita, 7-6 (7), 6-2

2. Martin Schulhauser (VCU) def. Wael Kilani, 6-2, 6-3

3. Emil Lindgren (VCU) def. Jamal Adderley, 7-6 (3), 6-1

4. Mahmoud Hamed (USF) def. Benjamin Bouhana, 6-2, 6-0

5. Romain Deridder (USF) def. Filip Svensson, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

6. Bobo Delemark (VCU) def. Mark Oljaca, 6-2, 6-1

Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 3, 1*, 5
Doubles

1. Bouhana/Lindgren (VCU) def. Hamed/Adderley, 8-5

2. Jovita/Deridder (USF) def. Svensson/Schulhauser, 8-5

3. Kilani/Yoshizawa (USF) def. Charron/Delemark, 8-6