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BIRMINGHAM, ALA.- The Coastal Carolina men's tennis team opened Big South Conference play with a win on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham as the Chanticleers defeated the Panthers 6-1. The Chanticleers improved to 9-2, 1-0 in the conference while the Panthers fall to 1-4, 0-2 in the conference.
The only loss in the Chanticleer line-up came from the number one singles position when junior David Mellis (London, England/Goffs) fell to BSC's Mauricio Engler in a tough three-set match 6-4, 3-6, 10-7. Simon Taylor (Hampshire, England/Queen Mary's College) broke a four match losing streak after beating David Ray 7-6, 6-3. Plamen Tzvetkov (Herts, United Kingdom/Stanborough) took over the three spot and picked up a win against Richard Walsh 6-3, 6-2.
Richard Redding (Winscombe, England/Queen Elizabeth's Hospital) beat Michael Locandro in the number four singles position 6-1, 7-6 while Andy Caress (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) took down Matt Mabry 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 at the number five spot. Rounding out the singles victories was Joseph Withers (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap (Liberty)) who beat Martin Crockett 6-1, 6-2.
The number one doubles team of Taylor and Caress defeated Engler and Locandro 8-4, Tzvetkov and Redding took down Ray and Freeman 8-4 and Mellis and Withers picked up a win against Mabry and Walsh 8-4.
The Chanticleers return to Billy Nichols Tennis Center on Thursday, March 8 as they host Big South rival UNC Asheville at 1 p.m.