BOX SCORE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford men's tennis team picked up its first Southern Conference win of the season in a 5-2 victory over Wofford Sunday afternoon at the Samford Tennis Complex.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play. Wofford drops to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in league matches.
 
"I am pleased with our ability to make adjustments and do the things better today that we needed to improve on," Samford head coach Rahim Esmail said. "There were a few aspects of our games that we needed to do a better job of after our match against Belmont on Friday, and we were able to make those improvements today. It is important to identify the things that you need to do better, but it is even more important to implement them. I am pleased that we were able to learn and grow from our previous experiences."
 
Samford earned wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point. The Bulldogs were also leading at No. 1 doubles when the point was clinched.
 
At No. 2 doubles, Jake Faundez and Eduardo Lourido Sanchez defeated Alan Poric and Andrew Graham, 6-2. Justin Ghavami and Fares Kilani earned a 6-0 win over David Sklar and Jack Thomas at No. 3 doubles.
 
"We did a great job on all courts in the doubles," Esmail said. "The energy and momentum that we exemplified during the doubles point was carried into the singles and this was a major factor in our success today."
 
In singles, Samford earned wins at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6. The clinching point came at No. 4 where Leonard Gerch defeated Sklar, 6-3, 6-2.
 
"I think we did a great job in the doubles and in the beginning of the singles," Gerch said. "We came out solid in every match in the beginning and finished solid on most courts. I liked the concentration and focused work on every court today. In my match, I made good decisions in the important moments of each set and I was serving well the whole time. I always had a good answer when my opponent tried to step up and I had the feeling that I controlled the match well with my decisions and my emotions."
 
At No. 2 singles, Trey Carter defeated Poric, 6-4, 6-0. Ghavami defeated Parks Thompson, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. At No. 6, Faundez defeated Thomas, 6-1, 6-2.
 
"Across the board, we did a great job with the singles today," Esmail said. "Leo played very solid and closed things out for us. Fares Kilani and Haris Poric had a great match today – very high quality with both guys playing at an extremely high level. Too bad somebody had to lose that contest as both players were very deserving of the win. We are happy with our result today and looking forward to competing again next weekend."
 
Samford will return to action on Saturday, March 19, when the Bulldogs play at UNCG. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Samford 5, Wofford 2
 
Singles competition
1. Haris Poric (WOF) def. Fares Kilani (SAM-M) 7-6, 7-6
2. Trey Carter (SAM-M) def. Alan Poric (WOF) 6-4, 6-0
3. Justin Ghavami (SAM-M) def. Parks Thompson (WOF) 7-5, 6-3
4. Leonard Gerch (SAM-M) def. David Sklar (WOF) 6-3, 6-2
5. Kyle Barr (WOF) def. Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM-M) 6-3, 7-5
6. Jake Faundez (SAM-M) def. Jack Thomas (WOF) 6-1, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
1. Trey Carter/Leonard Gerch (SAM-M) vs. Haris Poric/Parks Thompson (WOF) 5-3, unfinished
2. Jake Faundez/Eduardo L. Sanchez (SAM-M) def. Alan Poric/Andrew Graham (WOF) 6-2
3. Justin Ghavami/Fares Kilani (SAM-M) def. David Sklar/Jack Thomas (WOF) 6-0