UT Southern completes comeback win against Loyola men

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team hung close with Tennessee Southern at the SSAC Roundup in Montgomery on Friday, but the team ultimately fell 4-3.

The Wolf Pack (1-9, 1-4 SSAC) will look to bounce back with another match at the Roundup on Saturday against Point University, which is currently winless in the conference. 

Loyola started off the match well, winning on all three doubles courts, but UT Southern made up ground in singles competition. Hippolyte de Preville and Remus Hebhang-Balan teamed up for the first time this year at No. 2 doubles, winning 6-3. Then in a tiebreak on court 1, Samuel Motazed and Spencer Matz rolled 7-1 to win 7-6 and clinch the doubles point for the Pack. 

Fernando Sedrani Piestun and Diego Rodriguez Tobar closed out the doubles sweep, 6-4 on court 3. 

The Pack again started singles well, as De Preville won quickly, 6-2, 6-3 on court 3. The Firehawks got another point back on court 6, but Loyola went up 3-1 in the match with a 6-3, 6-3 result from Hebhang-Balan on court 1. Loyola then only needed one more singles win to clinch the match, but UT Southern secured three victories in a row, including three-set matches against Motazed and Matz, where Matz had won the first set. 

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Results

Loyola – 3

UT Southern – 4

Doubles
1. Matz/Motazed (LOYNO) def. Dias/Kubo (UTS) 7-6 (7-1)
2. De Preville/Hebhang-Balan (LOYNO) def. Rosa/Matuck (UTS) 6-3
3. Piestun/Rodriguez (LOYNO) def. Audisio/Moreno (UTS) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3 

Singles
1. Remus Hebhang-Balan (LOYNO) def. Felip Dias (UTS) 6-3, 6-3
2. Nick Rosa (UTS) def. Samuel Motazed (LOYNO) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 
3. Hippolyte de Preville (LOYNO) def. Shizuya Kubo (UTS) 6-2, 6-3
4. Gaspar Audisio (UTS) def. Spencer Matz (LOYNO) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 
5. Rage Matuck (UTS) def. Diego Rodriguez Tobar (LOYNO) 6-3, 6-3
6. Juan Buchelli (UTS) def. Martin Ashworth (LOYNO) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 6, 1, 5, 2, 4