GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Two-time defending champion and No. 1 seeded UNCW will appear in the championship match for the eighth time in the last 11 years after cruising past No. 4 James Madison, 4-1, in the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association Men's Tennis semifinals on Friday at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.
 
The Seahawks raised their record to 12-10 overall and 5-0 against conference opponents this season by turning back the Dukes in a match moved indoors due to inclement weather in the Triad area. JMU finished the season with a 17-8 record, including a pair of losses to the Seahawks.
 
UNCW, seeking its seventh CAA title, will face No. 2 seeded Elon in Saturday's championship match at Elon's Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. First toss takes place at 2 p.m.
 
In Friday's match, the Dukes grabbed a quick 1-0 advantage by capturing two of the three early doubles matches. The point was decided when JMU's top team of Pierre Kohler and Alvaro Arce squeezed out a 7-6 (5) victory over UNCW's Austin Hussey and Cole Groetsch.
 
The Seahawks answered big time in singles, however, by sweeping the first four matches off the court to punch their ticket to the championship match for the third consecutive season.
 
Seahawk freshman Bruno Caula squared the match at 1-all with a 6-2, 6-4, decision over JMU's Damon Roberts and junior Daniel Groom gave the Seahawks a 2-1 edge with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 decision over JMU's Paul Mendoza at No. 3 singles
 
Senior Agustin Savarino boosted UNCW's margin to 3-1 with a come-from-behind 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, triumph against Arce at No. 2 singles, setting up Hussey's 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, verdict over Kohler at the top of the lineup. It marked the sixth time this season that Hussey has clinched the winning point – a team high.
 
Saturday's win represented UNCW's eighth consecutive victory in the championships and its eighth straight decision over JMU in the conference tournament.
 
UNCW and Elon will be meeting for the first time in the CAA championship match. The Phoenix trimmed No. 3 William & Mary, 4-2, in Saturday's other semifinal.
   
Singles
1. Austin Hussey (UNCW) def. Pierre Kohler (JMUM) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Agustin Savarino (UNCW) def. Alvaro Arce (JMUM) 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
3. Daniel Groom (UNCW) def. Paul Mendoza (JMUM) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
4. Bruno Caula (UNCW) def. Damon Roberts (JMUM) 6-2, 6-4
5. Michael Copeland (UNCW) vs. Gonzalo Adis (JMUM) 1-6, 1-1, unfinished
6. Leo Sprovieri (UNCW) vs. Tate Steinour (JMUM) 2-0, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Pierre Kohler/Alvaro Arce (JMUM) def. Austin Hussey/Cole Groetsch (UNCW) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Paul Mendoza/Tate Steinour (JMUM) def. Agustin Savarino/Bruno Caula (UNCW) 6-3
3. Michael Copeland/Daniel Groom (UNCW) def. Gonzalo Adis/William Karpinski (JMUM) 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,3,2,1)