The Wolf Pack competed at a high level against, arguably, the toughest opponent on their schedule. They will continue their season Tuesday, April 12, at City Park Tennis Center against the University of Mobile at 2:00 pm.
(Mobile, Ala)- The Loyola University New Orleans Tennis teams took on Auburn University-Montgomery (AUM) in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday.
It was a tough matchup for the Wolf Pack as AUM entered the match ranked No. 1 nationally in women's and No. 2 in men's.
The women's team dropped their match against the nation's top team 9-0, while the men, who competed very well against their talented opponent, fell 8-1.
Alexa Mancuso (JR/Leawood, Kan.) was very competitive for the women's team and won a game in each set against the Warhawks No. 2 singles player before falling, 6-1, 6-1. Mancuso and Lauren Rosales (JR/San Antonio, Texas) showed good chemistry in the No. 1 doubles match, but fell 8-0. Rosales lost her singles match in straight sets.
Margaret Adams (FR/Fairhope, Ala.) and Isabel Junquiera competed valiantly against, arguably, the toughest duo they will face all season, but fell 8-0. Both women also lost their singles match in straight sets.
Menley Long (FR/Brookland, Arkansas), a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament champion team, competed in her first match as a member of the tennis team and, although impressing her teammates and coaches, fell in straight sets.
The men's program may have lost 8-1, but the score doesn't reflect the outstanding performance by the Wolf Pack against the nationally-ranked Warhawks.
The top two pairs for the Wolf Pack both lost nailbiters in the doubles competition. Steven Le (JR/Tustin, Calif.) and Ernesto de Diego (SO/Panama City, Panama), last week's ITC Player of the Week, went toe-to-toe with one of the top duos in the country before falling 8-6.
Sean Presti (FR/Lesigny, France), who was phenomenal all day, and Maxime Rumeau (FR/Aix en Provence, France) also competed at a high level against stiff competition before dropping the No. 2 doubles' match, 8-6. Federico Mercado (JR/Miami, Fla.) and David Mayhall (SR/Mobile, Ala.), the team's lone senior, lost the No. 3 doubles match, 8-0.
Facing an uphill battle heading into singles play, the Wolf Pack put on a strong performance, but couldn't overcome the extremely talented Warhawks.
Le, playing in the No.1 position, won two games in the first set and one in the second en route to a straight set loss. Rumeau fell in straight sets in the No. 2 position.
Presti put on a career-performance to capture the lone win for Loyola. After falling 3-6 in the first set, the freshman rallied to emphatically take the second set, 6-1. He then continued his dominance in the final set with a 10-4 victory.
Diego and Mercado both fell in straight sets, but did not go down easily. Both players won two games in the first set and three in the second against stout competition.
In the No. 6 position, Chris Fourmaux, who has been performing at a high level over the last month, won two games in the opening set, but fell 6-2, 6-0.
The Wolf Pack will continue their season with a home match against the University of Mobile at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, April 12 at City Park Tennis Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
