NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team competed over the weekend at the Dillard University tennis facility for the Bleu Devils' annual fall invitational, where the Pack faced off against players from local NAIA programs Dillard and Xavier.
Representing the Wolf Pack men were graduate students Samuel Marin and Samuel Motazed, seniors Sam Izrael, Hippolyte de Preville, and Spencer Matz, junior Martin Ashworth, and sophomores Alfredo Gallegos and Jett Nguyen.
The French team of Marin and Izrael played well in doubles, winning 6-3 in both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the doubles draw, then toughing out a 7-5 tiebreak victory in the final over a team from Dillard to win the tournament. Izrael also made a strong showing in the Singles A draw, playing three matches that all went to third-set super tiebreakers. He bested Xavier players in the Round of 16 (6-3, 5-7, 11-9) and quarterfinal (4-6, 6-3, 10-5) before winning the first set but eventually falling in the semifinal against a player from the host Dillard (3-6, 7-5, 10-3).
Gallegos and Motazed followed up a solid performance at the ITA Regional with a quarterfinal doubles win against Xavier, 7-6 (7-5), but they lost their semifinal against Dillard 6-4.
Izrael's two victories were the highlight of the Singles A draw, as the remaining Wolf Pack players lost their opening matchups, but they did find success in the back draw. Gallegos picked up an 8-6 win, and de Preville's opponent forfeited to set up an all-Loyola final, where the Wolf Pack senior won 8-4.
In the singles B draw, Matz did not drop a set throughout the weekend, winning the draw for Loyola. He was nearly perfect in his first-round matchup against Dillard (6-0, 6-1), needed a tiebreak in the quarterfinal vs. Xavier but still won in straight sets (7-6, 6-3), won the semifinal 7-5, 6-3 against Dillard, and took the final pro set at 8-6.
Nguyen dominated his first match against Dillard in the B draw, 6-1, 6-1, though he lost in the semifinal. Ashworth dropped a match to Xavier but won his consolation match 8-3.
The fall schedule is now completed, as the Wolf Pack looks ahead to the 2026 spring season.
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