The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
East Carolina
Men's Tennis Team Defeats East Carolina, 4-2
3/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 30, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The nationally-ranked UAB men's tennis team won four of six singles matches Friday as the Blazers downed visiting East Carolina on the first day of play at the Conference USA Shootout.
Due to the threat of inclement weather, the teams started the match with singles play. The match was delayed for an hour due to rain shortly after play began.
Lucas Dirube clinched the match for the No. 67 Blazers with his 6-2, 7-6 (2) win at No. 5 singles over ECU's Damien Brenard. Dirube had to fight off Brenard to claim the second set and the match. The UAB sophomore was up, 6-2, 5-2 and had a match point at that score, and another at 5-4, before Brenard rallied to send it into a tie-breaker.
Dirube cruised in the tiebreaker, 7-2, to give UAB the 4-2 victory. UAB improved to 14-4 with the win while the Pirates fell to 12-7.
The Blazers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match as David Zimmerman and Chris Helliar won singles matches at No. 2 and 3 singles, respecitively. Zimmerman downed the Pirates' Niels Cleeren at No. 2, 6-2, 6-0, while Helliar was a 6-1, 6-3 winner at the No. 3 spot over Nicolas Soriano.
Mario Martinez notched ECU's first point with his 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles over Tom Puetz. Daniel Moser made it 3-1 UAB with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 4 over John Schmitt. East Carolina's Joran Vliegan edged the Blazers' Danny Manlow at the No. 1 spot, 7-6, 6-4, before Dirube closed out the match with his win at No. 5 singles.
UAB will be back in action Saturday when the Blazers play Tulane at 2:00 p.m. UAB will go against Southern Miss on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in its final match of the three-day event.
Conference USA Shootout
Friday, March 30
George Ward Park - Birmingham, Ala.
No. 67 UAB 4, East Carolina 2
Singles
No. 1 - Joran Vliegen (ECU) def. Danny Manlow (UAB) 7-6, 6-4
No. 2 - David Zimmerman (UAB) def. Niels Cleeren (ECU) 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 - Chris Helliar (UAB) def. Nicolas Soriano (ECU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 - Daniel Moser (UAB) def. John Schmitt (ECU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 - Lucas Dirube (UAB) def. Damien Brenard (ECU) 6-2, 7-6
No. 6 - Mario Martinez (ECU) def. Tom Puetz (UAB) 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 6, 4, 1, 5
2012 Conference USA Shootout Schedule
Friday, March 30
UAB 4, East Carolina 2
Saturday, March 31
East Carolina vs. Southern Miss, 10:00 a.m.
Tulane vs. UAB, 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 1
East Carolina vs. Tulane 10:00 a.m.
Southern Miss vs. UAB, 2:00 p.m.
