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