JCSU received two match points on the play of All-CIAA senior Jamil Jones with victories in No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles
Results vs. Chowan
Petersburg, VA – The Johnson C. Smith University men's tennis team defeated Chowan University 5-4 on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the 2011 CIAA Tennis Championships held at the Virginia State Tennis Courts. The Golden Bulls entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed with a conference record of 4-9, while No. 4 seed Chowan stood with a 8-5 CIAA mark.
In almost a déjà vu situation from the women's match; JCSU led 2-1 after doubles play. Junior
McKenzie Bean (Hamilton, Bermuda) and All-CIAA junior
Robert Butts (Atlanta, GA) beat out Adam Moneypenny and Bjorn Blythe 8-3 in No. 1 doubles, followed by an 8-4 win in No. 2 doubles by All-CIAA senior
Jamil Jones (Atlanta, GA) and freshman
Dion Chever (Newport News, VA). Without a No. 3 doubles pair the Golden Bulls forfeited the last match for a 2-1 lead heading to singles play.
Singles competition came down to the No. 1 spot between Butts and Moneypenny to decide which team would advance.
Chowan earned three points in singles play. JCSU again forfeited, this time at the No. 6 singles position. Senior
Jerald Stuckey (Cincinnati, OH) suffered an injury and retired in No. 5 singles; awarding Jaqwese Williams with a win by walkover.
Bean swept Scott Van Eck (6-0, 6-0) to win a point in No. 2 singles. Jones closed out Blythe in two sets (6-0, 6-3) for the fourth JCSU match point. With the score knotted up at 4-4, only the number one singles match remained.
Butts had some struggles in the first set but still defeated Moneypenny 6-4. In the second set, Butts' play improved as the set progressed and sealed the JCSU victory with a 6-3 win in set two.
Johnson C. Smith will attempt to knock off No. 1 seed and reigning CIAA Champions Shaw University on Friday, April 21st in the semifinals of the 2011 CIAA Tennis Championships. Match play is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the VSU Tennis Courts. The Shaw Bears defeated the Golden Bulls 9-0 twice this season during the divisional round-ups.
