JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- The University of North Florida men's tennis team extended its winning streak to seven games with a crucial Atlantic Sun Conference road victory on Friday afternoon, downing East Tennesse State on its home courts, 4-3.
 
The Ospreys began the match with a crucial step, as they earned their eighth consecutive doubles point. Moments after ETSU earned a win at No. 1, seniors Pedro Davisson and Leonardo Nahar leveled matters with an 8-4 win over Ricardo Pabon and Roger Ordeig at No. 3.
 
Senior Daniel Sotomarino and sophomore Norbert Nemcsek then sealed the doubles point for UNF with a hard-fought win at No. 2 over Jorge Varon and Juan Ramirez. The duo broke ETSU earned two breaks early, before holding off an ETSU charge to earn an 8-5 victory, their eighth-consecutive win as a pair.
 
“I really liked our aggressiveness in doubles today after a poor performance earlier this week,” Head Coach Adam Schaechterle said. “Our No. 3 team really stepped up this afternoon.”
 
Senior Mortiz Buerchner doubled the Ospreys lead early in singles play, rolling to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jesus Bandres at No. 1 to put UNF up 2-0.
 
After an ETSU win at No. 5 made the score 2-1, senior Julien Belair put the Ospreys a point away from clinching the match with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 3. After winning the opening set, 6-3, Belair fell behind 3-0 and a pair of breaks in the second set, before winning five straight games en route to taking the second set, 6-4.
 
Nemcsek earned the clinching point for the Ospreys, taking home a marathon victory at No. 4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, to give UNF a 4-1 lead and put the match out of reach. The victories were the seventh in a row for both Belair and Nemcsek, the longest streaks on the team.
 
“The maturity that Norbert showed to close out the match was impressive,” Schaechterle said. “His toughness and competitiveness has improved with every match this season.”
 
With the match in hand, ETSU took victories on the remaining two courts to make the final score 4-3. The Ospreys improve to 9-6 on the season, including a flawless 3-0 mark in A-Sun play. UNF is also 4-6 against teams ranked in the top 75 nationally in 2013. The Bucs fall to 5-5 (1-1 A-Sun) with the loss.
 
“As a unit, I love the toughness we've been showing in these matches,” Schaechterle said. “That said, we still have a lot of work to do over the next four weeks to be prepared for postseason play.”
 
The Ospreys will be back in action on Saturday, when they travel to USC Upstate for a 10 a.m. match.
 
Complete Results
 
#75 North Florida 4, #68 ETSU 3
 
Singles competition
1. Moritz Buerchner (UNF) def. Jesus Bandres (ETSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Rogerio Ribeiro (ETSU) def. Daniel Sotomarino (UNF) 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6)
3. Julien Belair (UNF) def. Jorge Varon (ETSU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Norbert Nemcsek (UNF) def. Juan Ramirez (ETSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
5. Roger Ordeig (ETSU) def. Pedro Davisson (UNF) 6-4, 6-3
6. Ricardo Pabon (ETSU) def. Leonardo Nahar (UNF) 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 1-0 (10-4)
 
Doubles competition
1. Jesus Bandres/Rogerio Ribeiro (ETSU) def. Moritz Buerchner/Julien Belair (UNF) 8-5
2. Daniel Sotomarino/Norbert Nemcsek (UNF) def. Jorge Varon/Juan Ramirez (ETSU) 8-5
3. Leonardo Nahar/Pedro Davisson (UNF) def. Ricardo Pabon/Roger Ordeig (ETSU) 8-4
 
Match Notes:
North Florida 9-6, 3-0 A-Sun; National ranking #75
ETSU 5-5, 1-1 A-Sun; National ranking #68
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,5,3,4,6,2)
T-3:28  A-47