SUMTER, S.C.- The Royals men's tennis team (15-2) blanked Limestone ( in the battle for the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship and won the program's first-ever tournament championship. Queens won the title by defeating Limestone 5-0.
The rematch of Limestone and Queens comes just six days after the two met for the Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship. Both the Royals and the Saints entered the last regular season match undefeated and a winner was decided with the last singles match. Queens won 5-4 to win the regular season title, also the first in program history.
In the tournament championship, Queens handedly won the first two doubles flights, 8-2 and 8-3 with the third a little more evenly matched.
Ignacio Casali (Farmingdale, N.Y., Farmingdale) and
Gustavo Munhoz (Santos, Brazil, COC Universitario)put Abraham Lascari Diaz and Daniel Lopez away by a score of 9-7.
Christiaan Lee-Daigle (Tecumseh, Ontario, L'Essor Secondary School) and Casali won the match for Queens, having won the only two singles matches that were played. Lee-Daigle dropped the first set 2-6, but rebounded winning the next two sets 6-2 and 6-1. Casali soundly defeated his opponent, Daniel Lopez 6-3, 6-2.
Joshua Bloch (Johannesburg, South Africa, King David), Casali were named to the All-Tournament Team and Lee-Daigle was the Tournament MVP.
The Royals win gives them an automatic bid to the NCAA DII Championship. The opening rounds are slated for May 1-3 with the Championship round May 11-14 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
