BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – All good things come to an end, including Longwood men's tennis' three-match win streak.
 
In the final match of the 2019 regular season, first-place Gardner-Webb (12-7, 7-1 Big South) snapped the Lancers' streak with a 4-2 win that secured the Runnin' Bulldogs the Big South Regular Season Co-Championship and settled Longwood into the No. 6 seed in the upcoming Big South Championship tournament.
 
Following back-to-back-to-back wins over Virginia State, Hampton and USC Upstate, Longwood (13-8, 3-5 Big South) could not get past a Gardner-Webb team that took charge in the middle of the singles lineup. The Runnin' Bulldogs parlayed a doubles-point win into singles wins at Nos. 4 and 5 and overcame back-to-back singles victories from Lancers Rosen Naydenov and Guilherme Sergio to clinch the win on Breno Plentz' victory at No. 3 over Lancer Guillermo Cagigas 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).
 
The loss places the Lancers into the No. 6 spot in the Big South Championship bracket, which earns them a quarterfinal date with No. 3 seed UNC Asheville this Thursday, April 18, at noon at the Radford University Tennis Complex in Radford, Va. In Longwood's last trip to the Big South postseason, the Lancers upset No. 4 seed Liberty 4-3 in the quarterfinals and nearly edged eventual conference champion Winthrop in a 4-3 loss in the program's first trip to the Big South semifinals.
 
Longwood will have four days to prepare for the tournament following Saturday's loss at Gardner-Webb, which saw the Runnin' Bulldogs win for the 12th time in their past 14 matches to tie Campbell for the top spot in the final Big South standings.
 
The Lancers lost the doubles point Saturday after Gardner-Webb's Johan Fors and Ross Gilbert defeated Lancer sophomores Marc Casanovas and Rosen Naydenov 6-2 at No. 2 and Plentz and Stefano Puga defeated Guillermo Cagigas and Raisei Sakai 6-3.
 
Gardner-Webb kept that momentum at the start of singles play, as Fors upended Casasnovas 6-1, 6-1, and Sakai lost to Gilbert 6-3, 6-3 to run Gardner-Webb's lead to 3-0. However, a glimpse of hope for the Lancers came when Naydenov won over Puga 6-4, 6-3 and Sergio defeated Millen Hurrion 5-7, 6-2, 3-0 after Hurrion retired to cut Longwood's deficit to 3-2.
 
However, needing just one win to lock up the win, Plentz clinched the victory with a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) win over Cagigas for the final point.
 
"It was a tough day today as we didn't get the outcome we wanted in regular season" Sergio said, "We are focusing on details or just giving time to the others to finish their matches.
 
"Hopefully everyone goes in on the same page and we continue to fight like brothers. We have worked too hard to give up now."
 
Gardner-Webb 4, Longwood 2
April 13, 2019
Boiling Springs, NC (GWU Tennis Court)
 
Singles competition
1. SCHOLL, Maximilian (GWU) vs. BLASCO, Amadeo (LWU) 4-6, 6-4, 0-3, unfinished
2. SERGIO, Guilherme (LWU) def. HURRION, Millen (GWU) 5-7, 6-2, 3-0, retired
3. PLENTZ, Breno (GWU) def. CAGIGAS, Guillermo (LWU) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
4. GILBERT, Ross (GWU) def. SAKAI, Raisei (LWU) 6-3, 6-3
5. FORS, Johan (GWU) def. CASASNOVAS, Marc (LWU) 6-1, 6-1
6. NAYDENOV, Rosen (LWU) def. PUGA, Stefano (GWU) 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. BLASCO, Amadeo/SERGIO, Guilherme (LWU) vs. SCHOLL, Maximilian/HURRION, Millen (GWU) no result
2. FORS, Johan/GILBERT, Ross (GWU) def. CASASNOVAS, Marc/NAYDENOV, Rosen (LWU) 6-2
3. PLENTZ, Breno/PUGA, Stefano (GWU) def. CAGIGAS, Guillermo/SAKAI, Raisei (LWU) 6-3
 
Match Notes
Longwood 13-8 (3-5 Big South)
Gardner-Webb 12-7 (7-1 Big South)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,4,6,2,3)
Official: Sue Ellen T-2:34 A-87
 
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