Terps End Home Schedule With Tough Loss to No. 68 Clemson
April 5, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland's streak of tough conference losses continued on senior day with a 4-3 loss to No. 68 Clemson.
The Terps (7-11, 1-8) had three seniors playing in the final home matches of their careers, and all three seniors earned victories on the day.
Seniors Andrew Orban and Boris Fetbroyt earned the 10th doubles victory of the season for the pair with their victory over Clemson's Gera Boryachinskiy and Ike Belk.
After Orban and Fetbroyt gained the momentum and went up a break at 5-3, that momentum seemed to shift quickly when Fetbroyt's serve was broken and Clemson held serve to draw things even at 5-5. But Orban followed with a quick hold of serve, not allowing the Tigers to win a single point, and after a Fetbroyt lob winner and a service hold of his own, the duo won, 8-5.
Senior and captain Nickolai Nielsen ended his home career in style, taking his match with Boryachinskiy in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Nielsen dominated from the start of the match, capping off a great weekend in which he earned the doubles point-clinching victory over Georgia Tech, in addition to going 2-0 at singles.
Fetbroyt earned a singles win of his own, though his came in more dramatic fashion. Playing against Clemson senior Kevin Fleck, Fetbroyt traded games with Fleck on the way to winning the first set 7-5.
In the second set, Fetbroyt led 4-2, but Fleck battled back to take the second set and force a tie-breaker third set. Fetbroyt trailed for most of the tie-break, but trailing 8-6, Fetbroyt went on a tear, taking the next point, hitting back-to-back winners to earn points eight and nine, then hitting a shot the ricocheted off the tape of the net and over the head of the charging Fleck to win the match, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8).
On a day when experience was the focus, Maryland's youngest starter, Mathias Sarrazin, earned a victory of his own. The freshman dropped his first set against Clemson red-shirt senior Ike Belk, but came back strong in the sets that followed to win, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The Terps will be back in action next weekend when they play a pair of matches in the sunshine state, starting off with No. 16 Florida State and finishing the regular season against No. 31 Miami.
#68 Clemson 4, Maryland 3
Singles competition
1. #115 Carlos Alvarez (CLEM) def. David Kwon (MD) 6-2, 6-1
2. Rok Bizjak (CLEM) def. Andrew Orban (MD) 7-5, 6-3
3. Nickolai Nielsen (MD) def. Gera Boryachinskiy (CLEM) 6-1, 6-2
4. Mathias Sarrazin (MD) def. Ike Belk (CLEM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Boris Fetbroyt (MD) def. Kevin Fleck (CLEM) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Kevin Galloway (CLEM) def. Roshan Potarazu (MD) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Andrew Orban/Boris Fetbroyt (MD) def. Gera Boryachinskiy/Ike Belk (CLEM) 8-5
2. Rok Bizjak/Wesley Moran (CLEM) def. David Kwon/Roshan Potarazu (MD) 8-3
3. Carlos Alvarez/Kevin Fleck (CLEM) def. Nickolai Nielsen/Mathias Sarrazin (MD) 8-5
Match Notes:
Clemson 9-9 (4-5); National ranking #68
Maryland 7-11 (1-8)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,1,2,4,5)
