By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MARCH 15, 2015 – The No. 20 Bulls added their second championship trophy to the case in less than a month by defeating UNC-Wilmington, 4-0, in the USF Spring Break Tournament title match Sunday afternoon.
USF (12-4) is on an eight-match winning streak that started with a championship victory at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic last month in Alabama. The Bulls started the USF Spring Break Tournament with 4-0 wins over Furman and Tulane leading up to the championship match.
“They're getting stronger and stronger in the big moments and that's been a key," head coach Matt Hill said. "These opponents are talented and they're getting us in some tough spots. Our guys are really taking care of business in those crucial moments that can swing the match one way or the other.”
USF stepped up right away against UNC-Wilmington by taking care of business quickly in doubles. Oliver Pramming and Justin Roberts posted a 6-2 victory in the top spot and Roberto Cid and Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz clinched the point with a 6-2 win in the third position.
“Our top doubles team played a lot better today with great energy from the very beginning. No. 3 doubles has been cleaning up all weekend,” Hill said.
Sasha Gozun has been impressing his coaches in singles and the sophomore from Moldova continued his success with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Xander Veys in the second spot.
“Sasha is really hitting his stride and doing the things that allow him to be successful at a really high level much more often,” Hill said. “He's forcing himself to use his serve and his forehand in big moments. That really allows him to be really successful against any player in the country.”
USF took a 3-0 lead with Cid's 6-1, 6-3 victory over Christian Van Der Burgh in the top singles position and Roberts sealed the victory in solid fashion. The freshman from Nassau, Bahamas finished up his 6-4, 6-1 win over Zach Hublitz with a service ace.
“They're starting to get confident in those big moments. The entire tournament we dropped one set in singles, that's pretty solid,” Hill said.
USF continues its seven-match homestand 3 p.m. Wednesday against Minnesota before a test against conference foe Tulsa Sunday, March 29 at 1 p.m. Admission is free at the USF Varsity Courts.
No. 20 USF 4, UNC-Wilmington 0
Doubles
Pramming/Roberts (USF) def. Leskinen/Van Der Burgh (UNCW), 6-2
Gozun/Kalyuzhnyy (USF) vs. Williams/Torres (UNCW), 4-5, DNF
Cid/Gonzalez-Muniz (USF) def. Restrepo/Hublitz (UNCW), 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3
Singles
Roberto Cid (USF) def. Christian Van Der Burgh (UNCW), 6-1, 6-3
Sasha Gozun (USF) def. Xander Veys (UNCW), 6-2, 6-0
Oliver Pramming (USF) vs. Santuu Leskinen (UNCW), 7-6, 3-1, DNF
Ignacio Gonzalez-Muniz (USF) vs. Sam Williams (UNCW), 6-4, 3-3
Justin Roberts (USF) def. Zach Hublitz (UNCW), 6-4, 6-1
Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF) vs. Andres Torres (UNCW), 7-5, 5-2, DNF
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5
Records: USF 12-4, UNCW 8-4
