April 23, 2007

Men's Tennis - Union (Ky.) 5, Virginia Intermont 1
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Top-seeded Union College netted a 5-1 victory over second-seeded Virginia Intermont College on Saturday in collecting its first-ever Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Tournament Championship.

"This is a great day for our program," said Union coach Renzo Lopez. "We came close last year and had a solid chance two years ago, so to finally win it is very rewarding.

"All of the guys played well today as they have all season long," he added. "I am very proud of them."

Union also won the regular-season crown and went 7-0 against Appalachian Athletic Conference opponents this season, going 5-0 in the regular season and winning both tournament matches.

The 18th-ranked Bulldogs led the Cobras 2-1 after the three doubles matches before taking the first three singles matches en route to the 5-1 decision.

Ivan Mardones (Merida, Venezuela) played well, winning his singles match 6-1, 6-1 over Phillipe Fonseca. He teamed up with Anthony Hill (Guayaquil, Ecuador) in doubles for an 8-4 win over Milan Kosicky and Jon Johnson.

With the win, Union improved to 15-3 on the season, while Virginia Intermont dropped to 7-6 overall.

Union will return to the court in the NAIA Region XII Tournament, which will be held May 4-5 in Berea, Ky. The pairings have yet to be determined.

Women's Tennis - Union (Ky.) 5, Virginia-Wise
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Top-seeded Union College collected its first-ever Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Tournament Championship as the Lady Bulldogs recorded a 5-1 victory over second-seeded Virginia-Wise on Saturday.

Union (Ky.) beat Virginia-Wise 5-1 in the title match of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tennis tournament.

"This is a great achievement for our ladies," said Union coach Renzo Lopez. "They have had to overcome injuries and adversity in winning this. I am very proud of them, all of them."

In two seasons after being reinstated as an intercollegiate athletic program, the Lady Bulldogs have garnered a total of three conference titles having won two regular-season crowns and now a tournament championship.

Union's played much of the season without its No. 1 singles player, Paola Gamarra (Asuncion, Paraguay) who suffered an ankle injury early in the year. Still, the Lady Bulldogs pressed on and won all eight matches against Appalachian Athletic Conference opponents this season, going 6-0 in the regular season and winning both tournament matches.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 13-5 on the season, while UVa-Wise dropped to 13-5.

Union will return to the court in the NAIA Region XII Tournament, which will be held May 4-5 in Berea, Ky. The pairings have yet to be determined.