July 29, 2007

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Top-ranked West Florida rallied with four singles wins to take a 5-3 victory over fourth-ranked USC Upstate in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championships Thursday afternoon at Sanlando Park.

Upstate ends its season with a 23-5 record. West Florida improves to 27-3 and advances to the semifinals Friday.

Upstate jumped on top with a pair of doubles victories to take a 2-1 lead heading into singles action. Leandro Osorio and Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso claimed an 8-4 victory at No. 3 doubles to give Upstate a 1-0 lead. West Florida evened the match when Nicolas Barrientos and Dante Bottini claimed an 8-6 victory over Stefan Dumitrescu and Renzo Airaldi at No. 1 doubles. Upstate took a 2-1 lead when Javier Tori and Sandy Franz defeated Diego Zorzi and Luis Arboleda, 8-5.

West Florida rallied in singles play, but Upstate made some noise early. Dumitrescu claimed a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Zorzi at No. 1 to give Upstate a 3-1 lead. West Florida then rattled off four straight singles victories. Bottini claimed a 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 2, while Bernardi claimed a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 6. The Argonauts took a 4-3 lead when Cavasotti took a 6-0, 7-6 win at No. 4. West Florida claimed the match and a spot in the semifinals when Barrientos took a three set 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 victory at No. 3.

Match Results
West Florida 5, USC Upstate 3
Singles
#1 Stefan Dumitrescu (Upstate) def. Diego Zorzi (WFU); 6-1, 6-4
#2 Dante Bottini (WFU) def. Sandy Franz (Upstate); 6-3, 7-5
#3 Nicolas Barrientos (WFU) def. Javier Tori (Upstate); 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
#4 Eduardo Cavasotti (WFU) def. Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso (Upstate); 6-0, 7-6
#6 Luiz Bernardi (WFU) def. Jack Roux (Upstate); 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
#1 Nicolas Barrientos/Dante Bottini (WFU) def. Stefan Dumitrescu/Renzo Airaldi (Upstate); 8-6
#2 Javier Tori/Sandy Franz (Upstate) def. Diego Zorzi/Luis Arboleda (WFU); 8-5
#3 Leandro Osorio/Sebastian Gonzales-Orbegoso (Upstate) def. Eduardo Cavasotti/Luiz Bernardi; 8-4