Warriors upend Saints

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 26, 2010 1:47 PM

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DUDLEY -- The next-to-last unbeaten team on the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference boys' tennis scene tumbled on a windy, overcast Thursday afternoon.

Eastern Wayne dealt county rival Southern Wayne a 9-0 loss, bumping the Saints out of the league's top perch they shared with two-time defending champion Charles B. Aycock. The Warriors (7-1 overall) and Saints (6-2) departed with identical 3-1 ECC worksheets.

"I thought we responded well today after Tuesday's loss to Aycock," said Eastern Wayne head coach Craig Hassell. "Our team continues to want to improve every match, and despite some injuries, our depth has kept us solid."

The Warriors' Chaz Fitzpatrick, Russell Turner, Aaron Dunmire, Joe DiCesare and Carson Daly each logged a straight-set singles victory. Fitzpatrick, the top seed, and DiCesare dropped just one game apiece against their respective opponents.

Turner, who continues to recover from a shoulder injury, and Daly each breezed to 6-1, 6-1 decisions. Teammate Mike Barnette, the No. 4 seed, rallied past Saints sophomore Brandon Outlaw 7-5, 3-6, 10-5.

"Mike pulled out a tough three-setter," said Hassell. "I was very impressed by Brandon's skill. (He) showed a lot of potential in singles and doubles."

The No. 2 doubles of Hood-Outlaw challenged Turner-Dunmire before falling 8-6. Fitzpatrick-Barnette and DiCesare Daly also triumphed for the Warriors, who picked up their 39th ECC regular-season victory in their last 42 tries since 2007.

"Our guys are playing really good tennis and this is one of the best teams that's probably ever been at Southern Wayne," said Saints head coach John Fonvielle. "They go out there and fight for every point ... fight to win the match. We were kind of out-manned today.

"They made better shots ... put them in the corners. We can't hit corners and hit lines like they can. I was very satisfied with what our guys did."