LATHAM, N.Y. - The La Salle University men's tennis team dropped a hotly-contested match against Siena, 5-2, on Friday evening. Four singles matches went the full three sets, and the Saints picked up three third-set tiebreak wins en route to victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The doubles point went to Siena, as the Explorers took the No. 2 match, but fell in No. 1 and No. 3.
- Juniors Rogelio Gonzalez and Connor Merrill won their second doubles match, 6-4, but La Salle fell in the other two matches by 6-3 scores as the Saints took a 1-0 lead.
- At No. 5 singles, freshman Brandon Caban picked up a straight-set victory, one of only two singles matches that did not go to the decisive third.
- The Saints won the third set at Nos. 1, 4 and 6, while Merrill won his third-set tiebreak at No. 3.
- Those three closely-contested matches proved to be the difference as Siena flipped last year's 5-2 decision into a 5-2 win.
RESULTS
Doubles
1) Del Olmo/Lopez Torres (SIE) def.
Nassim Fenjiro/
Brandon Caban (LAS), 6-3
2)
Rogelio Gonzalez/
Connor Merrill (LAS) def.Â
Giannakitsidis/Kirkwood (SIE), 6-4
3) Bains/Nardone (SIE) def.
Gage Sanchez/
Colin Lucius (LAS), 6-3
Singles
1) Sagar (SIE) def. Fenjiro (LAS), 3-6, 6-0, 10-6
2) Del Olmo (SIE) def. Gonzalez (LAS), 6-4, 6-3
3) Merrill (LAS) def. Lopez Torres (SIE), 6-7, 6-4, 10-5
4) Mendoza (SIE) def. Sanchez (LAS), 6-3, 6-7, 10-6
5) Caban (LAS) def. Oberli (SIE), 7-6, 6-4
6) Bellino (SIE) def. Lucius (LAS), 7-6, 4-6, 10-6
UP NEXT
- The Explorers take on Holy Cross in a neutral-site match on Saturday, Feb. 15.
