GREENVILLE, S.C. – Freshman Zvonko Bencedic bounced back from a heart-breaking end to his match at Chattanooga on Friday to win his first Southern Conference singles matchup Sunday afternoon. Bencedic won in straight sets to claim the Bulldogs' first point in SoCon action of the season, but the 'Dogs ultimately fell 6-1 to Furman.

Match Information
Location: Greenville, S.C. (Mickel Tennis Center)
Final Score: Furman 6, The Citadel 1
Records: Furman (8-4, 2-0 SoCon), The Citadel (2-10, 0-2 SoCon)

Match Rundown

• The Paladins opened the match by claiming the doubles point with a clean sweep of all three matches. Furman won the point after taking matching 6-2 wins at No. 2 and No. 1 doubles before finishing it off with a 6-3 win at No. 3.
• In singles action, Bencedic, who is normally one of the last ones off the court, was the first one to wrap up as he defeated Henrick Atlevi in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles. It is Bencedic's team-leading fifth singles victory of the season.
• The Bulldogs forced four of the last five singles matches to three sets, including two tiebreaker sets.
• After Furman went up 2-1 with a straight-sets victory at No. 5 singles, Will Graham pushed Jake Munns at No. 2 singles, falling 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
• Sophomore Phillip Quinn was the fourth Bulldog off the courts as he bounced back from a 6-4 loss in the first set to claim a 6-3 win in the second set. Jake Bhangdia was able to clinch the match's fourth point in the third set with a 6-2 win at No. 3 singles.
• At No. 1, Gavin Stewart forced Clarke Wilson to a tiebreaker in the first set, falling 7-5, but bounced back with a 6-4 victory in the second set. Wilson was able to pull away at the end with a 6-2 win in the final set.
• Senior Jack Pyritz rounded out the day with a three-setter at No. 6 singles. Chad Nash took the first set from Pyritz, 6-3, but the Bulldog came back for a thrilling 7-6 win in set No. 2. Nash ended the day with a 6-2 victory in the third set.

Match Results
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3)
1. Jake Munns / Jake Bhangdia (Furman) def. Gavin Stewart / Zvonko Bencedic (The Citadel) 6-2
2. Henrik Atlevi / James Roelofse (Furman) def. Will Graham / Phillip Quinn (The Citadel) 6-2
3. Clark Wilson / Chad Nash (Furman) def. Leo du Plooy / Willem van Zyl (The Citadel) 6-3

Singles (Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 3, 1, 6)
1. Wilson (Furman) def. Stewart (The Citadel) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
2. Munns (Furman) def. Graham (The Citadel) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
3. Bhangdia (Furman) def. Quinn (The Citadel) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
4. Bencedic (The Citadel) def. Atlevi (Furman) 6-2, 6-4
5. Roelofse (Furman) def. van Zyl (The Citadel) 6-2, 6-1
6. Nash (Furman) def. Jack Pyritz (The Citadel) 6-3, 6-7, 6-2

QUOTABLES FROM COACH KRIESE
"It was a great battle between our two teams today. Our goal as team heading into today was for the guys to 'set the table' and do all the right things so we'd still be competitive and in the final 30 minutes of the match. Give credit to Furman for winning a tough, hard-fought match. They are so well coached, so disciplined. Today was another stepping stone to learn to how to lengthen matches. We are still moving forward. Even though it breaks your heart to continually lose these close ones, it was great for Zee to bounce back after having the heartbreak of Friday to win today in straight sets. He showed great character and heart throughout the weekend. As a team, we made a move in the right direction this weekend. Of our 12 singles matches, we had seven go the distance (three sets), so we had eight singles matches in the territory of where we want to be. The guys are continuing to grow and I couldn't be more proud of this great group."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will remain on the road this weekend, this time traveling to the state of Virginia to battle Richmond and Fairmont State. The 'Dogs and Spiders will face off on Friday, Feb. 28. The Bulldogs will then take on Fairmont State in a 1 p.m., neutral-site doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 29.

JOIN THE CITADEL BRIGADIER FOUNDATION
Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes. Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information and score updates on The Citadel men's tennis team, please visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelMten on Twitter and @CitadelSports on Twitter and Instagram.