Loyola improves to 5-4 on the season after wins in two doubles matches and four wins in singles.
NEW ORLEANS - In the team's first home match this season, the Loyola University New Orleans men's tennis team took on Our Lady of the Lake University on Friday evening.
The Wolf Pack earned a 6-3 victory at New Orleans's City Park, improving their record on the season to 5-4. The visiting Saints fell to 2-5.
"Overall it was a good performance today," said assistant coach Eduardo Garcia. "It was our first match playing on our home courts this season and we're happy to have gotten the win."
The Pack earned two early points in doubles play with a hot start. The tandem of Sean Presti (JR/Lesigny, France) and Tiger Cheung (FR/Hong Kong), who have only dropped one of their five doubles results on the season, started the day by tallying the first point for Loyola with an 8-1 win on court two. The duo of Galileo Cabrales (SO/San Salvador, El Salvador) and Joseph Short (FR/Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) followed in similar fashion shortly after, winning 8-2 on court three.
The visiting Saints got the third point in doubles play on court one, so Loyola took a 2-1 lead into singles play, needing wins on three courts to secure the victory.
Playing at the No. 6 spot in singles, Short picked up the third overall point for the Pack, scoring an impressive 6-1, 6-1 victory. After falling in a close match in doubles play, Ernesto de Diego (SR/Panama City, Panama) was next up, giving the Pack a 4-1 lead with his 6-0, 6-2 win on court four.
Then after helping to get the first point of the day, Cheung clinched the match for Loyola, notching the fifth point with a 6-0, 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot. After a point from the Saints with a win on court one, Alexander DePascual (JR/Metairie, La.) scored the sixth point of the day, picking up a 6-3, 6-4 victory on court five.
Our Lady of the Lake pulled out a win on court two in the last match to finish, but Loyola left City Park with the 6-3 victory. It was the second-straight victory over the Saints for the Wolf Pack, as they also picked up a win in last season's home matchup.
The next match for the Wolf Pack comes in a men's and women's doubleheader at noon against NCAA DII Spring Hill College. Both teams will have to travel a bit, as the matches will be played in Ocean Springs, Miss. In both of the last two matchups, both the men's and women's teams blanked the Badgers 9-0.
You can keep up with the Pack this season by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
Men's Tennis
Loyola - 6
Our Lady of the Lake - 3
Doubles
1. Warren Fulgenzi/Mathias Rocha (OLL) def. Ernesto de Diego/Alexander DePascual (LOYNO) 8-6
2. Sean Presti/Tiger Cheung (LOYNO) def. Diego Salinas/Estevan Trujillo (OLL) 8-1
3. Galileo Cabrales/Joseph Short (LOYNO) def. Abraham Cantú/Pedro Gomes 8-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. Warren Fulgenzi (OLL) def. Galileo Cabrales (LOYNO) 6-1, 6-1
2. Mathias Rocha (OLL) def. Sean Presti 6-4, 6-3
3. Tiger Cheung (LOYNO) def. Pedro Gomes (OLL) 6-0, 6-2
4. Ernesto de Diego (LOYNO) def. Diego Salinas 6-0, 6-2
5. Alexander DePascual (LOYNO) def. Abraham Cantú (OLL) 6-3, 6-4
6. Joseph Short (LOYNO) def. Estevan Trujillo (OLL) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 4, 3, 1, 5, 2
