April 13, 2003

CARY, N.C. - The 21st-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team defeated NC State 6-1 Saturday afternoon at the Cary Tennis Center. The Demon Deacons swept the three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead and then won five of six singles matches to close the regular season with a 6-1 victory.

Mike Murray got the best of his younger brother, R.J. as the two faced off at No. 2 doubles and the Wake Forest tandem of Mike Murray and Trent Brendon beat R.J. Murray and Val Banada 9-8 (4). Mike Murray blanked Rehman Esmail 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles and Brendon made quick work of Jon Davis, winning 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.

David Loewenthal teamed up with Andrew Simpson to capture an 8-3 win for Wake Forest at No. 3 doubles and then topped R.J. Murray 6-2, 7-6 (5) at No. 1 singles. Derrick Spice and Brett Ross picked up an 8-6 victory over NC State's Will Shaw and Jon Davis at No. 1 doubles. Ross shutout Chris Mills 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6 singles. David Bere rallied to defeat Shaw 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 singles.

Wake Forest improves to 12-7 overall and finishes the season 5-3 in the ACC with the win. NC State falls to 5-15, 1-6. The Demon Deacons earn the four seed at the ACC Championships where they will square off against the five seed, Virginia, at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, April 18 at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.

#21 Wake Forest 6, NC State 1
Doubles
#1 - Spice/Ross (WFU) d. Shaw/Davis (NCSU), 8-6
#2 - Murray/Brendon (WFU) d. Murray/Banada (NCSU), 9-8(4)
#3 - Loewenthal/Simpson(WFU) d. Mills/Esmail (NCSU), 8-3
Singles
#1 - #49 David Loewenthal (WFU) d. R.J. Murray (NCSU), 6-2, 7-6(5)
#2 - Val Banada (NCSU) d. Derrick Spice (WFU), 6-2, 6-4
#3 - David Bere (WFU) d. Will Shaw (NCSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
#4 - Trent Brendon(WFU) d. Jon Davis (NCSU), 6-2, 6-4
#5 - Mike Murray (WFU) d. Rehman Esmail (NCSU), 6-0, 6-0
#6 - Brett Ross (WFU) d. Chris Mills (NCSU), 6-0, 6-0