SMU
No. 54 Cal Poly Edged by No. 47 SMU, 4-3
3/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Friday afternoon's match featured everything two nationally ranked teams going head-to-head should possess – three ties and four lead changes – as the 54th-ranked Cal Poly men's tennis team was outlasted by 47th-ranked SMU at Mustang Courts, 4-3. Cal Poly held two leads during the marathon battle, but SMU clinched the match with a win at No. 6 singles – which ultimately was decided on a tiebreak.
With the match tied at three apiece, Cal Poly freshman Lucas Lesoeur won his first set against Arkadijs Slobodkins, 7-5 at the No. 6 position. Slobodkins then captured the second set, 6-3 to set up the third and final set, which also would reveal the match winner. With Lesoeur up 6-1 in the third, Slobodkins battled back to force a tiebreaker and eventually won, 7-6 (8), clinching the match for SMU, which collected its sixth consecutive victory.
"It was a hard fought match that could have gone either way," Cal Poly head coach Nick Carless said. "Hats off to SMU, they deserved to win this afternoon."
The sophomore duo of Ben Donovan and Corey Pang won an unprecedented ninth straight doubles matchup, 6-4, over Markus Kerner and Arturs Kazijevs, to bend the doubles point back to even after SMU's Samm Butler and Tony Russell ousted Lesoeur and freshman Karl Enander at No. 3. Cal Poly sophomore Garrett Auproux and Devin Barber forced a tiebreak at No. 2 doubles, but were overcome by the tandem of Nate Lammons and Slobodkins, 7-6 (3).
After SMU collected the doubles point and early momentum, Cal Poly's Donovan tied the match with his third consecutive singles victory, 6-3 and 6-4 over Markus Kerner at No. 1 singles. Cal Poly took its first lead of the afternoon when freshman Axel Damiens outlasted Charles Nettlefold at the No. 6 position, 6-3 and 6-1. Damiens moved to 6-1 this season overall at the sixth position with the victory and Donovan has not lost a match (singles or doubles) since falling to the 107th-ranked player in the nation (FGCU's Jordi Vives in three sets) on March 2.
SMU's Samm Butler beat Cal Poly's Pang, 6-3 and 6-0 to knot the match at two apiece, setting the stage for Auproux to deliver more heroics. The Cal Poly sophomore won his fifth singles match overall – moving to 9-4 at the No. 2 position this season – with a straight-set ousting of Kazijevs, 7-6 (4) and 6-1.
With Cal Poly leading 3-2, SMU's Lammons – the 110th-ranked singles player in the nation according to the ITA – delivered a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over senior Naveen Beasley in the fourth position, which again tied the match. Slobodkins would then oust Lesoeur in the marathon sixth and final singles match of the afternoon, sealing the victory for SMU.
Cal Poly's Carless felt Friday's loss was both a learning experience and something that will help his team as it prepares for a three-match road trip that spans two weeks before Big West Conference play begins.
"Matches like these will help our team grow," replied Carless. "Today's result wasn't what we wanted, but we learned a lot about ourselves as competitors today. I'm excited for our next match in Boise."
Cal Poly (9-6) travels to Boise, Idaho, for a matchup with Arizona on Sunday, March 22 and will also face Boise State on Monday, March 23. To follow the Cal Poly men's tennis program from the road, follow @PolyTennis on Twitter.
Singles
1. Ben Donovan (CP) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Garrett Auproux (CP) def. Arturs Kazijevs (SMU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
3. Samm Butler (SMU) def. Corey Pang (CP) 6-3, 6-0
4. #110 Nate Lammons (SMU) def. Naveen Beasley (CP) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
5. Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) def. Lucas Lesoeur (CP) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
6. Axel Damiens (CP) def. Charles Nettlefold (SMU) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles
1. Ben Donovan/Corey Pang (CP) def. Markus Kerner/Arturs Kazijevs (SMU) 6-4
2. Nate Lammons/Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) def. Garrett Auproux/Devin Barber (CP) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Samm Butler/Tony Russell (SMU) def. Lucas Lesoeur/Karl Enander (CP) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,6,3,2,4,5)
