University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
St. Mary's (Calif.)
Cajuns Show Strong Effort, Fall to No. 74 SMC
3/9/2011 4:02:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The loss dropped the Cajuns to 1-8 on the season, while St. Mary's improved to 6-5 overall.
UL dropped the doubles point as SMC recorded wins in the top-two spots. In the one doubles slot, Gavin Leon and Maxim Olivan knocked off UL's Yanick Mandl and Brandon Farine, 8-5.
Saint Mary's clinched the doubles point when Saad Benkirane and Lucas Tirelli won a close 8-6 decision over Ted Nilsson and Carlin Murray.
Louisiana did notch a win in the third doubles spot when Carl Alberton and Oscar Pachon won 8-6 over SMC's Joakim Norstrom and Steven Dawson-Roberts.
In singles competition, Olivan claimed a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mandl in the one slot to give Saint Mary's the early 2-0 advantage. The Gaels' number-two player Tirelli used a 7-5 tiebreak in set one and a 6-4 second set to down Murray.
The third slot proved to be a tough battle as UL's Robert Voss dropped the first set 4-6 to Sherif Hamdy. Voss bounced back to capture set two, 6-4, but eventually dropped the tie-breaking set, 11-9.
In the four singles slot, Saint Mary's Benkirane won in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
The fifth singles match proved to be one of the best of the day. SMC's Norstrom came away with a hard-fought victory defeating Louisiana's Nilsson 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).
Leon recorded the seventh point for the Gaels in a three-set contest with Alberton. Leon won set one, 6-2, before Alberton rebounded with a 6-4 victory. Leon won the decisive third set, 7-5.
UL returns home to Cajun Courts to open a three-match home stand. The Cajuns will host Cleveland State at 6 pm on Monday, March 14.
Tennis Match Results
Louisiana at #74 Saint Mary's
March 8, 2011 at Moraga, California
Saint Mary's 7, Louisiana 0
Singles competition
1. Maxime Olivan (SMC) def. Yanick Mandl (UL) 6-3, 6-4
2. Lucas Tirelli (SMC) def. Carlin Murray (UL) 7-5, 6-4
3. Sherif Hamdy (SMC) def. Robert Voss (UL) 6-4, 4-6, (11-9)
4. Saad Benkirane (SMC) def. Oscar Pachon (UL) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Joakim Norstrom (SMC) def. Ted Nilsson (UL) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4)
6. Gavin Leon (SMC) def. Carl Alberton (UL) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Gavin Leon/Maxime Olivan (SMC) def. Yanick Mandl/Brandon Farine (UL) 8-5
2. Saad Benkirane/Lucas Tirelli (SMC) def. Ted Nilsson/Carlin Murray (UL) 8-6
3. Carl Alberton/Oscar Pachon (UL) def. Joakim Norstrom/Steven Dawson-Roberts 8-6
Match Notes:
Louisiana 1-8
Saint Mary's 6-5
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
