Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Louisville
Salukis fall 4-3 in close match against Louisville
04/04/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Saluki men's tennis team fell in a tight match on Sunday night against Louisville, coming up just short in the 4-3 contest. Sunday's match was hard-fought for the Salukis, as FIVE of the six singles matches included tiebreakers. The Salukis are 11-3 on the season after yesterday's loss.
"We lost a close one today, but I am extremely proud of the guys and the way they never gave up," SIU head coach Dann Nelson said.
SIU opened the match with a dominant 6-0 shutout win at the No. 2 doubles spot by Wilder Pimentel and Alex Pozo. The pair has won four straight matches at the No. 2 spot. The Salukis fell in the second, dropping the No. 1 match 6-3, and battled in the third, before dropping the doubles point with a tight 7-5 loss at the No. 3 spot.
The Salukis came storming back in singles play, however, entering the singles matches with a 1-0 deficit. Wilder Pimentel picked up the Salukis' first singles win at the No. 3 spot. The first frame was decided in a tiebreaker – 7-6 (7-2) – before Pimentel closed out the match, 6-3, in the second set.
The Cardinals earned wins at the No. 4 and No. 6 spots over Peter Molloy and Daniel Martinez to take a 3-1 lead before Jonny Rigby came back with a win in No. 1 singles to tighten the score. Rigby's match resulted in a tiebreaker in the second frame where he won 7-6 (7-5). Alex Pozo rallied back after a 1-6 loss in the first frame of his match to pick up a win in three sets at the No. 5 spot, tying the score, 3-3.
Piotr Baranski's No. 2 match was the deciding point. Prior to Sunday's match, Baranski was 9-1 in singles play as a Saluki. After winning the first set, 6-3, Baranski came close to a win in the second, reaching match point twice before falling in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-1). Barnaski's match ended with a 6-2 loss in the third frame.
"It was so close," Nelson said. "We had opportunities to win this match, and could not convert. We are competing very well, and are looking forward to Senior Day next Saturday."
The Salukis have improved from their last meeting with Louisville, however. Last year the Salukis only won one singles match against Louisville in the team's 6-1 loss.
SIU is scheduled to play at home this weekend in the team's last home match of the season. They will take on Illinois State to open conference play. Saturday's match, set for 11 a.m., will also honor senior Jonny Rigby for Senior Day.
Complete Results
Doubles
L: Gornet/ Brown (LOU) def. Rigby/ Baranski (SIU) 6-3
W: Pimentel/Pozo (LOU) def. Hedley/Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU) 6-0
L: Donohue/Lancaster (LOU) def. Molloy/Martinez (SIU) 7-5
Singles
W: Jonny Rigby (SIU) def. C. Morin-Kougoucheff (LOU-MT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
L: Alex Gornet (LOU-MT) def. Piotr Baranski (SIU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2
W: Wilder Pimentel (SIU) def. George Hedley (LOU-MT) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
L: Brandon Lancaster (LOU-MT) def. Peter Molloy (SIU) 6-2, 6-1
W: Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Sean Donohue (LOU-MT) 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
L: Christian Haushammer (LOU-MT) def. Daniel Martinez (SIU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
Players Mentioned
