Published Friday, May 02, 2008 3:35 PM
Updated Friday, May 02, 2008 3:36 PM

 

Stags netters advance to 'elite eight'

This one was tough.

Coming off a 6-0 shut out win over South Florence in the first round of the AAAA state tennis tournament, the Stags tennis team had a bit of a tougher row to hoe against visiting Dutch Fork.

The Stags top two seeds Dirk Bair and Zac Dye were forced into third set tiebreakers before pulling away to beat Dutch Fork (No. 2 in Region 5AAAA) 5-2 in the second round of the AAAA state tournament. Berkeley (Region 7AAAA champs) upped their record to 15-2 in advancing to the Final Four of the AAAA Lower State bracket and Elite Eight of the state tournament.

Dutch Fork advanced with a 5-1 first round knock out of Beaufort.

Bair’s unbeaten streak continued, but not without a bit of a hiccup this time as the Silver Foxes’ Thomas Bowen forced the Stags number one singles player to a three-set tiebreaker with a second set 6-4 win.

Bair took the first set 6-2 in a classic battle of the big hitters as each hammered away with grunting forehands from the baseline.

In the second set Bair seemed to fall back into a defensive battle as Bowen pressed with hard-hitting forehand and backhand volleys to the left and right.

Coming out into the third set tiebreaker though, Bair put the match away easily, winning 10-1 with his big serve that Bowen couldn’t not handle as five of the 10 tiebreaker points won by Bair were returns off serve that either sailed long or floundered into the net.

Seventh grader Zac Dye, the latest in the long line of Berkeley wonder children faced a similar third set tiebreaker defeating Dutch Fork’s number two seed Will Basinger 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.

Big brother Micah Dye just a freshman lost in straight sets 4-6-4-6.

Fourth seed Will Farmer out-dueled Dutch Fork’s Kelan Richburg in a tight first set tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6) then blew out the Silver Foxes’ fourth seeded player 6-1 in the second set to win the match.

The Stags’ final singles player Jared Wadford lost his singles match 6-1, 6-0.

In doubles action, Bair and Zac Dye teamed up in respective singles rematches against Dutch Fork’s Bowen and Basinger and clinched the match with a decisive 6-2, 6-0 thumping top doubles pair with the last set ending in a whitewash.

The number two doubles team of Matthew McPherson and Andrew Hinson finished the Stag route with a tight tiebreaker win (6-4, 4-6, 10-8) over Dutch Fork’s Michael Brawner and Eric Banizaman.

The Stags are set to face their toughest opponent of the season West Florence in the Final Four round on May 6. The Knights have yet to lose a set in the first two rounds of the playoffs, whitewashing James Island 6-0, and Fort Dorchester 7-0.

Stags 5, Dutch Fork 2

Singles: Bair defeated. Bowen 6-2, 4-6, 10-1; Z. Dye defeated Basinger 6-4, 4-6, 10-6; M. Dye lost to Williams 4-6, 4-6; Farmer defeated Richburg 7-6 (8-6), 6-1; Wadford lost to Markland 1-6, 0-6.

Doubles: Bair-Z. Dye defeated Bowen-Basinger 6-2, 6-0; McPherson-Hinson defeated Brawner-Banizaman 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.

Stags 6, South Florence 0

Singles: Bair defeated Hill 6-0, 6-0, Z. Dye defeated Perkis 6-0, 6-0, M. Dye defeated Whitlock 6-1, 6-1, Farmer defeated Rainwater 6-0, 6-0, Wadford defeated Odom 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles: McPherson/Hinson defeated Washington/Perkis 7-5, 6-3.