THIBODAUX, Louisiana – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis opened up its four-match weekend with a tough 3-4 loss at Nicholls State University on Saturday at the Colonel Tennis Complex.
 
UTRGV (3-7) came out and took the early lead as it won the doubles point. The duo of junior Michael Loyd and sophomore Samuel de Felipe Garcia opened with a 6-2 win over Pavle Drobnjakovic and Adam Larsen at the No. 3 spot. 
 
Junior Zane Kohrs and sophomore George Hutchings followed with a 6-2 win over Piyush Surendra Salekar and Prasanna Pravi Bagade at the No. 2 spot to clinch the point. 
 
In singles, UTRGV added to its lead as junior Carlo Izurieta picked up the 6-3, 6-0 win over Ricardo Machado at the No. 1 spot. 
 
Nicholls State answered with wins at No. 4, 5, and 6 spots to take the 3-2 before sophomore Te Kani Williams tied the match at three with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over Drobnjakovic at the No. 3 spot. 
 
It all came down to the No. 2 spot where de Felipe Garcia was taking on Salekar. De Felipe Garcia opened with a 7-6 win in the first set before falling 2-6 in the second, which forced a third and deciding set. The tiebreaker was a tight one that went back and forth but de Felipe Garcia fell 6-7.
 
UTRGV will be back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m. when it faces the University of New Orleans at the University Tennis Center. 
 
Complete Results
Singles (1,4,5,6,3,2)
1. Carlo Izurieta (UTRGV) Ricardo Machado (NSU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Piyush Surendra Salekar (NSU) def. Samuel de Felipe Garcia (UTRGV) 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
3. Te Kani Williams (UTRGV) def. Pavle Drobnjakovic (NSU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
4. Omar Hussein (NSU) def. George Hutchings (UTRGV) 7-5, 6-3
5. Adam Larsen (NSU) def. Zane Kohrs (UTRGV) 7-6 (3), 6-1
6. Prasanna Pravi Bagade (NSU) def. Alberto Mello (UTRGV) 6-4, 7-5
 
Doubles (3,2)
1. Carlo Izurieta/Alberto Mello (UTRGV) vs. Ricardo Machado/Omar Hussein (NSU) 4-5 unfinished
2. Zane Kohrs/George Hutchings (UTRGV) def. Piyush Surendra Salekar/Prasanna Pravi Bagade (NSU) 6-2
3. Michael Loyd/Samuel de Felipe Garcia (UTRGV) def. Pavle Drobnjakovic/Adam Larsen (NSU) 6-1

Support UTRGV Men's Tennis | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube