Cajuns Pick Up Two Wins At FSU Invitational

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajun men's tennis team opened up the 2015 spring season over the weekend, winning two of three matches and taking the consolation bracket of the Florida State Invitational at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.

Louisiana, who entered the weekend ranked No. 66 nationally in the initial preseason polls, split a pair of matches on Saturday, falling in the opening match, 4-0, to No. 72 North Florida before edging Furman, 4-2, in the nightcap to advance to the consolation final. The Ragin' Cajuns then squared off against conference foe South Alabama in a rematch of last year's SBC Championship match, taking four singles matches for a 4-3 win over the Jaguars in non-conference action.

Junior Jake Wynan carried over his success from the fall season with a pair of singles wins at the No. 1 spot, while freshman Vlad Kramarov and sophomore Will Huyton also picked up a pair of singles victories.

The Cajuns dropped the doubles point with the brother duo of Jake and Jarred Wynan falling (6-3) to the Ospreys' team of Caio Gomes and Yannick Zuern. UNF's Lasse Muscheites and Zach Goldberg defeated UL's Coleman Wahlberg and Rok Sitar (6-2) to finish off the point, leaving Will Huyton and Damian Farinola's match against No. 28 Norbert Nemcsek and Jack Findel-Hawkins unfinished with Huyton/Farinola leading 5-4.

North Florida then picked up points at Nos. 1, 4 and 5 singles play to close out the 4-0 win. Vlad Kramarov fell in No. 1 singles (6-1, 6-1) to No. 72 Findel-Hawkins, while Farinola was defeated at No. 4 singles by Yannick Zuern (6-1, 6-3). Muscheites picked up UNF's final point in the No. 5 slot with a (6-1, 7-6(7-3)) win over Huyton.

Later in the afternoon Louisiana battled back after losing the doubles point to take a 4-2 win over Furman, winning four out of five singles matches completed. Sitar and Wahlberg picked up the lone doubles win of the with a 6-2 win over the Paladins' Stefan Rhodes and Juan Sheppard in the No. 3 spot; however, Farinola and Huyton fell (6-4) to Jacob Behal and Adam Steryous at No. 1 and Wynan and Wynan dropped their match (6-1) to Matt Browne and Ben Horst.

That led to singles play where the Cajuns got points from each of the top three spots in the lineup, and Huyton at No. 5 to pull out the comeback victory. Jake Wynan, playing in the No. 1 spot, recovered from dropping the first set to Steryous to pick up a (4-6, 6-2, 6-2) win. Kramarov knocked off Browne in straight sets (6-0, 7-5) in No. 2 singles, and Jarred Wynan defeated Luke Synn (6-2, 7-5) to score the points.

Huyton's win came over Sheppard (6-2, 2-6, 6-4) while the only Furman point of singles play came from Rhodes over freshman newcomer Dimitris Stavropolous (6-4, 6-2).

In the finale on Sunday afternoon, UL once again dropped the doubles point despite Wynan/Wynan defeating Tuki Jacobs and Daniel Leitner (6-2) of South Alabama in the No. 1 doubles spot.

The Cajuns then needed another big output from singles play and got just that with wins at Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 6 singles. Jake Wynan led with a three-set win (6-3, 3-6, 6-4) win over Leitner at No. 1 before Kramarov scored a point with a win over Jacobs (6-3, 7-5) at No. 3 singles.

UL then got the deciding points from Farinola at No. 4 and Stavropolous at No. 6 to secure the win. Farinola did his job by getting by Manuel Belda in three sets (6-2, 4-6, 7-5) while Stravropolous defeated Juan Troglia in comeback style(1-6, 6-4, 6-3).

The Ragin' Cajuns will next host Lamar in the home opener on Jan. 17 at Cajun Courts before heading west for matches against national No. 1 USC and either No. 50 UNC Wilmington or No. 56 Santa Clara on Jan. 23-24 in Los Angeles.
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No. 72 North Florida 4, No. 66 Louisiana 0
1/10/2015 at Tallahassee, Fla.
Singles competition
1. #72 Jack Findel-Hawkins (UNF) def. Kramarov, Vlad (UL) 6-1, 6-1
2. Caio Gomes (UNF) vs. Wynan, Jake (UL) 3-6, 6-4, 2-0, unfinished
3. Norbert Nemcsek (UNF) vs. Wynan, Jarred (UL) 7-5, 5-3, unfinished
4. Yannick Zuern (UNF) def. Farinola, Damian (UL) 6-1, 6-3
5. Lasse Muscheites (UNF) def. Huyton, Will (UL) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Julian Bradley (UNF) vs. Sitar, Rok (UL) 7-6 (7-2), 5-2, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. #28 Norbert Nemcsek/Jack Findel-Hawkins (UNF) vs. Huyton, Will/Farinola, Damian (UL) 4-5, unfinished
2. Caio Gomes/Yannick Zuern (UNF) def. Wynan, Jarred/Wynan, Jake (UL) 6-3
3. Lasse Muscheites/Zach Goldberg (UNF) def. Wahlberg, Coleman/Sitar, Rok (UL) 6-2

Match Notes:
Louisiana 0-0; National ranking #66
North Florida 0-0; National ranking #72
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,1,5)
Seminole Tournament - Match 3
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No. 66 Louisiana 4, Furman 2
1/10/2015 at Tallahassee, Fla.
Singles competition
1. Wynan, Jake (UL) def. Adam Steryous (FUR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
2. Kramarov, Vlad (UL) def. Matt Browne (FUR) 6-0, 7-5
3. Wynan, Jarred (UL) def. Luke Synn (FUR) 6-2, 7-5
4. Farinola, Damian (UL) vs. Jacob Behal (FUR) no result
5. Huyton, Will (UL) def. Ben Horst (FUR) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
6. Juan Sheppard (FUR) def. Stavropoulos, Dimitr (UL) 6-4, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Jacob Behal/Adam Steryous (FUR) def. Farinola, Damian/Huyton, Will (UL) 6-4
2. Matt Browne/Ben Horst (FUR) def. Wynan, Jake/Wynan, Jarred (UL) 6-1
3. Sitar, Rok/Wahlberg, Coleman (UL) def. Stefan Rhodes/Juan Sheppard (FUR) 6-2

Match Notes:
Louisiana 1-1; National ranking #66
Furman 0-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles ()
Seminole Tournament - Match 8
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#66 Louisiana 4, South Alabama 3
1/11/2015 at Tallahassee, Fla.
Singles competition
1. Wynan, Jake (UL) def. Leitner, Daniel (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
2. Srkala, Tim (USA) def. Wynan, Jarred (UL) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Kramarov, Vlad (UL) def. Jacobs, Tuki (USA) 6-3, 7-5
4. Farinola, Damian (UL) def. Belda, Manuel (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
5. Gruindelingh, G. (USA) def. Huyton, Will (UL) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Stavropoulos, Dimitr (UL) def. Troglia, Juan (USA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Wynan, Jake/Wynan, Jarred (UL) def. Jacobs, Tuki/Leitner, Daniel (USA) 6-2
2. Belda, Manuel/Troglia, Juan (USA) def. Farinola, Damian/Huyton, Will (UL) 6-4
3. Gingras, Olivier/Srkala, Tim (USA) def. Kramarov, Vlad/Wahlberg, Coleman (UL) 7-6 (7-2)

Match Notes:
Louisiana 2-1; National ranking #66
South Alabama 1-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,2,5,6,4)
Seminole Tournament - Match 12

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Players Mentioned

Damian Farinola

Will Huyton

Vlad Kramarov

Rok Sitar

Jake Wynan

Jarred Wynan