The Citadel Tennis Concludes Competition in the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Championships

Athens, Ga. – The Citadel Tennis team competed against some of the best players in the country when they participated in the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Championships that concluded at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Monday.

Experiencing success early in the four-day competition were junior David Orces and freshman Peter Bleach who both claimed victories in the first round on Friday. Orces defeated LSU's James Turberville in Division I singles action in three sets (5-7, 6-2, 7-3) and went on to round two to compete against seventh-ranked Nassim Slilam of the University of Florida, who defeated him, 6-1, 6-2.

Bleach defeated Samford's Scott Foster, 7-6, 7-5, advancing to the second round of 16 in Division III singles action. However, he came up short against Lipscomb's Stuart Tierney, 6-2, 6-1.

Also competing in singles action on Friday were sophomores James Atkinson and Dillon Berkabile in Division II singles and sophomore Elliot Sperr and senior Josh Cook in Division III singles. All three advanced to consolation rounds, but were unsuccessful claiming wins against their competitors.

In doubles action, Atkinson and Berkabile teamed up against Georgia State's Thomas Cook and Victor Valente in Division I doubles, coming up short in the first round, 8-4. The duo of Bleach and Cook automatically advanced to the second round in Doubles II action on Saturday after a bye in round one. The duo, who competed against Liberty's Shea Thomas and Dillon Segur, fell to the Flames, 8-3. Orces and Sperr tag-teamed against Minnesota's Juan Pablo Ramirez and Brendan Ruddock in the second round of Division II doubles, also after a bye in round one, but they too came up short, 8-3.

The tennis team will return to action when they compete in the ITA Regional Tournament on Oct. 14-16 in Chapel Hill, N.C. For more information on Bulldog Tennis, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com, or follow the Dogs on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/citadelsports and twitter.com/citadelsports.

The Citadel's 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Championships Results

DIVISION I SINGLES
Round of 64 – Friday
David Orces, Citadel def. James Turbervill, LSU, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(3)

Round of 32 – Saturday
Nassim Slilam (7), Florida def. David Orces, Citadel, 6-1, 6-2

DIVISION II SINGLES
Round of 64 – Friday
Oliver Webb, Ga. Southern def. James Atkinson, Citadel, 6-3, 6-4
Sean Weber, NCSU def. Dillon Berkabile, Citadel, 7-5, 0-6, 6-2

First Round Consolation – Saturday
Tristan Stayt, Liberty def. James Atkinson, Citadel, 6-2, 6-3
Wayne Harrell, Liberty def. Dillon Berkabile, Citadel, 6-1, 6-4

DIVISION III SINGLES
Round of 32 – Friday
Peter Bleach, Citadel def. Scott Foster, Samford, 7-6, 7-5
Daniel Hernandez, Lipscomb def. Elliot Sperr, Citadel, 6-3, 6-4
Michael Sicora, Minnesota def. Josh Cook, Citadel, 6-0, 6-3

Round of 16 – Friday
Stuart Tierney, Lipscomb def. Peter Bleach, Citadel, 6-2, 6-1

First Round Consolation – Saturday
Stanislav Vaughan, Liberty def. Elliot Sperr, Citadel, 6-1, 6-1
Will Rollinson, NCSU def. Josh Cook, Citadel, 7-5, 6-2

DIVISION I DOUBLES
Round of 64 – Friday
Thomas Cook/Victor Valente, Ga. State def. James Atkinson/Dillon Berkabile, Citadel, 8-4

DIVISION II DOUBLES
Round of 32 - Saturday
Shea Thomas/Dillon Segur, Liberty def. Peter Bleach/Josh Cook, Citadel, 8-3
Juan Pablo Ramirez/Brendan Ruddock, Minnesota def. David Orces/Elliot Sperr, Citadel, 8-3