Men's Tennis | April 18, 2021

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle University men's tennis team earned a victory in doubles and had leads in five of the six singles matches but could not quite finish off Hofstra in a 4-3 loss on Sunday at Legacy Tennis Center. Before the match, seniors Rogelio Gonzalez, Connor Merrill, and Colin Lucius were honored for their four-year careers as Explorers.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the brief ceremony, La Salle took an early lead as Gonzalez and Merrill teamed up for a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles.
• The win tied the doubles competition at 1-1, and nearly simultaneously a court over, Lucius and junior Nassim Fenjiro finished off their opponents at No. 2 to give the Explorers a 1-0 lead.
• A win by Hofstra at No. 3 evened the team competition, before Fenjiro posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jonathan Mahrt Guyou to push the home team in front, 2-1.
• At No. 1, Gonzalez cruised to an easy 6-2 win in the first set of his match, but ran into trouble in the second and dropped the final two sets as the contest again went even at 2-2.
• Lucius picked up his senior teammate by bouncing back from a 6-0 defeat in the first set of his matchup with Julien Wolfe, and was victorious by margins of 6-3 and 6-4 to put the Explorers on the verge of a win.
• Unfortunately, freshman Dylan Tull - after winning the first set of his match at No. 6 - suffered a minor lower body injury and was forced to retire with the match tied at one-set apiece.
• Sophomore Brandon Caban fought valiantly in the second set at No. 5, forcing a tiebreaker but ultimately fell as the Pride picked up the win.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers will face Jefferson on Tuesday, April 20 at Legacy Tennis Center. The match is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.

RESULTS
Hofstra 4, La Salle 3
Doubles
1. Rogelio Gonzalez/Connor Merrill (LAS) def. Wolfe/Wall (HU), 6-3
2. Nassim Fenjiro/Colin Lucius (LAS) def. Nishitani/Pezzoli (HU), 6-3
3. Arce/Feldberg (HU) def. Brandon Caban/Dylan Tull (LAS), 6-1

Singles
1. Arce (HU) def. Gonzalez (LAS), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Fenjiro (LAS) def. Mahrt (HU), 6-3, 6-1
3. Pezzoli (HU) def. Merrill (LAS), 6-0, 6-1
4. Lucius (LAS) def. Wolfe (HU), 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Nishitani (HU) def. Caban (LAS), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Feldberg (HU) def. Tull (LAS), 4-6, 6-3, ret.