MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Asbury men's tennis (12–5, 6–0 CCS) and women's tennis (10–7, 6–1 CCS) both secured Collegiate Conference of the South semifinal victories Friday afternoon, with the men defeating No. 4 Piedmont, 4–2, and the women topping No. 3 Maryville, 4–1.
The Eagles set the tone early by securing the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Ignacio Ardiles and Franco Patiño battled to a 7–5 win at the top spot, while Andres Caceres and Ben Moore followed with a 6–3 victory at No. 2 to give Asbury a 1–0 lead.
In singles play, Asbury quickly regained momentum after Piedmont evened the match at 1–1 with a win at No. 2. Ardiles delivered a strong performance at No. 3 singles, earning a straight-sets 6–2, 6–4 victory to put the Eagles back in front. Caceres added another key point at No. 5 with a dominant 6–4, 6–1 win, extending the lead to 3–1.
After Piedmont picked up a point at No. 4 singles, Ignacio Murillo sealed the match for Asbury at the No. 6 position, cruising to a 6–3, 6–0 win to clinch the 4–2 team victory. The match at No. 1 singles went unfinished with Moore leading in the second set.
With the win, the Eagles move to 12–5 overall and remain unbeaten in CCS play, advancing to the conference championship with a chance to secure the tournament title for a second straight season.
The Eagles came out dominant in doubles play, sweeping wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to secure the early point. Alexandra Garcia and Katherine Nova swept their opponents 6–0 at the top spot, while Malory Watkins and Ariadna Zegarra followed with a 6–1 win at No. 2.
Carrying that momentum into singles, Asbury quickly built control of the match. Zegarra delivered a dominant 6–0, 6–3 win at No. 2 singles, and Nova matched that effort with a 6–2, 6–2 victory at No. 1 to extend the Eagles' lead.
After Maryville picked up its lone point at No. 5, Watkins sealed the team victory at No. 4 with a 6–1, 6–4 win to clinch the match.
With the win, Asbury improves to 10–7 overall and advances to the CCS Championship match, continuing its strong run in conference play.
Both teams will turn towards their CCS Title defense tomorrow in Murfreesboro, Tennessee., the women taking on No. 1 Piedmont at 10 AM CST and the men facing off with No. 2 Covenant at 2 PM CST.
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