LAFAYETTE, LA – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s tennis team was defeated 6-1 by the No. 38 University of Louisiana-Lafayette (ULL) Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday at the Cajun Courts.
The match began with singles action on Friday but was suspended due to rain. ULL (14-1) held a 2-0 lead when play resumed on Saturday shortly after UTRGV (2-10) defeated Nicholls 5-2. The Ragin’ Cajuns extended their lead to 3-0 with a victory at No. 3.
Senior Carlo Izurieta and freshman Sam Whitehead each picked up first-set wins in their respective flights. Izurieta won 6-3 then dropped a tight second set to ULL’s Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez 4-6 in the No. 2 match. Izurieta battled from down 0-4 to 3-4 in the third, but Sanchez Gonzalez held on for a 6-3 win and sealed ULL’s victory 4-0.
Junior Misha Kvantaliani fought to a 6-6 tie in set two of his No. 1 match after dropping the first 2-6. He opened up a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker and forced a deciding third set with a 7-3 win. Kvantaliani kept that momentum rolling and dominated the frame, securing a come-from-behind victory with a 6-1 win.
Whitehead won the first 6-2 then lost a back-and-forth second set in the No. 4 match. He responded well after a three-game streak from ULL’s Calin Postea, then they swapped games until Postea clinched a 7-5 win to push the match to a third. Again, they went point-for-point in the tightly contested match, but Postea came out with a 7-5 win, putting ULL up 5-1.
The Ragin’ Cajuns claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Kvantaliani and Izurieta took their No. 1 match to a 6-6 tie. ULL’s duo of Karlo Kajin and Sanchez Gonzalez won the tiebreaker 7-3.
UTRGV will honor its seniors when the Vaqueros host New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at the Orville Cox Tennis Center.
Complete Results
Singles (6, 5, 3, 2, 1, 4)
1. Misha Kvantaliani (UTRGV) def. Karlo Kajin (ULL) 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
2. Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez (ULL) def. Carlo Izurieta (UTRGV) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Oriol Fillat Gimenez (ULL) def. Te Kani Williams (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-4
4. Calin Postea (ULL) def. Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
5. Kacper Dworak (ULL) def. Alberto Mello (UTRGV) 6-0, 6-4
6. Vasil Dimitrov (ULL) def. Michael Davis (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles (2, 3, 1)
1. Karlo Kajin/Alejandro Sanchez Gonzalez (ULL) def. Misha Kvantaliani/Carlo Izurieta (UTRGV) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Oriol Fillat Gimenez/Vasil Dimitrov (ULL) def. Alberto Mello/Chris Lawrance (UTRGV) 6-3
3. Kacper Dworak/Calin Postea (ULL) def. Sam Whitehead/Michael Davis (UTRGV) 6-2
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