MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 25 Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team returned to Southern States Athletic Conference competition on Friday at the SSAC Roundup in Montgomery. Before a slew of ranked conference matches, the Wolf Pack shut out SSAC newcomers Abraham Baldwin 7-0.
The Wolf Pack men's team is now 6-5 on the season, 2-0 in conference play.
The doubles teams continued playing well for the Pack on Friday, as Loyola won the doubles point for the fifth time in the last six matches. Remus Hebhang-Balan and Akhil Indrabalan got a 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, and Sam Izrael and Samuel Motazed also won 6-2 to give the Pack the doubles point. Both of the top two Loyola pairs have seven wins this season.
Hebhang-Balan also won at No. 1 singles in his most dominant victory of the year, 6-0, 6-2. Elsewhere in singles, Spencer Matz, Alfredo Gallegos, and Jett Nguyen all won in straight sets at the No. 4, 5, and 6 positions.
Loyola had clinched the match by the time Hippolyte de Preville and Izrael's singles matches both went to a deciding third set, so they both played super tiebreakers, and both Wolf Pack players won 10-7 to help Loyola sweep singles competition for the third time in the last five matches.
The Pack will now play three consecutive matches against ranked conference opponents. Saturday, Loyola will face No. 16 Middle Georgia State as the SSAC Roundup continues. Then, the Pack will host No. 7 William Carey for a Senior Day match before returning to Montgomery to battle No. 21 UT Southern on April 5.
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Results
No. 25 Loyola – 7
Abraham Baldwin – 0
Doubles
1. Hebhang-Balan/Indrabalan (LOYNO) def. Blache/Neveu (ABAC) 6-2
2. Izrael/Motazed (LOYNO) def. Rodgers/Blanchart (ABAC) 6-2
3. Marquard/Ranby-Al (ABAC) def. De Preville/Gallegos (LOYNO) 6-3
Singles
1. Remus Hebhang-Balan (LOYNO) def. Luka Blache (ABAC) 6-0, 6-2
2. Sam Izrael (LOYNO) def. Ryan Neveu (ABAC) 6-4, 3-6, 10-7
3. Hippolyte de Preville (LOYNO) def. Thibaut Blanchart (ABAC) 6-2, 5-7, 10–7
4. Spencer Matz (LOYNO) def. Benjamin Ranby-Al (ABAC) 6-3, 6-2
5. #62 Alfredo Gallegos (LOYNO) def. Sean Canevet (ABAC) 6-2, 6-4
6. Jett Nguyen (LOYNO) def. Artur Lovison (ABAC) 6-4, 6-2
