Mariga/Arslanian Into the Semis, Saints Remain in 10th
With constant rain hammering down on the Dallas Metroplex, the Seward County Saints were able to get just three matches in on day three of the 2015 NJCAA National Tournament in the Lone Star State on Wednesday. Seward will send Tare Mariga and Paul Arslanian through the semifinals on Thursday, posting a 2-1 record to remain in 10th place overall at the end of the day.
Felipe Casares had the Saints toughest match of the day as he took on top seeded and #4 singles favorite Rasheed Carey from ASA in quarterfinal number one. Casares had a tough time staying with Carey in the first set, losing 6-1 and didn't have any easier of a go in the second, falling by another 6-1 decision to finish his first National Tournament in 5th place.
In #5 singles Tare Mariga took the court in the first of four quarterfinal matches against Andy Nguyen of Mesa. Mariga continued his strong play at the championship event, winning 6-2 in the first and knocked Nguyen out of the tournament with another 6-2 victory in the second. He advances to the semifinal round Thursday morning where he will take on Nate Palmer of Abraham Baldwin.
Paul Arslanian was the third Saint to take the court on Wednesday. The Frenchman cruised in the first set against Patrick Nguyen of Collin County, winning 6-1 to take the early advantage in the match. The second was a different script though as Arslanian and Nguyen battled to a 7-5 score, which Arslanian pulled out in the end to move on to the Final Four. In Thursday's semifinal, Arslanian will go up against top seeded Logan Powell of Tyler with a trip to the National Championship match on the line.
The Saints remain in 10th at the end of day three as after a clerical error by the tournament organizers, Seward goes forward with 17 points after believing they were at 17 at the end of day two. ASA takes a slight lead over Tyler at the top of the standings at 36 to 35 while Abraham Baldwin remains close with the two titans with 33 points. Cowley drops two spots to #6 with 23 points.
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