MOBILE, Ala. – The No. 24 Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team and the University of Mobile Rams both entered Saturday's match with 2-3 conference records, but the Wolf Pack came out on top in the final regular season match, 6-1 on the road.
Loyola (7-9, 3-3 SSAC) will be the fourth seed in the SSAC Championship, which begins next week at the Mobile Tennis Center. The Pack and the fifth-seeded Rams will rematch in the opening round of the tournament, with the match scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at 1 p.m.
Remus Hebhang-Balan and Samuel Motazed had a strong start to the match, winning 6-2 at No. 1 doubles for their first win as a doubles pairing. Sam Izrael and Jett Nguyen followed, winning 6-1 at No. 2 doubles to claim the doubles point for the Pack.
Izrael got the first point of singles competition for the Wolf Pack, winning 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot. Hippolyte de Preville was next, winning 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 singles after Mobile won on court 6. Freshman Alfredo Gallegos clinched the team victory for Loyola, picking up his 12th win of the season (6-2, 7-5). Gallegos' 12 singles victories are the most in one season by any Wolf Pack men's tennis player in the history of the program.
While the Rams did get another point on the scoreboard at No. 4 singles, Hebhang-Balan closed out the match on a high note for the Pack, coming back to win in a third-set super tiebreak, 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.
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Results
No. 24 Loyola – 5
Mobile – 2
Doubles
1. Hebhang-Balan/Motazed (LOYNO) def. Finke/Dickson (UM) 6-2
2. Izrael/Nguyen (LOYNO) def. Arias/Perez (UM) 6-1
3. Reina/Ruiz (UM) def. De Preville/Gallegos (LOYNO) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Remus Hebhang-Balan (LOYNO) def. #56 Martin Jeanne (UM) 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
2. Sam Izrael (LOYNO) def. Leon Finke (UM) 6-4, 6-2
3. Hippolyte de Preville (LOYNO) def. Callum Dickson (UM) 7-5, 6-3
4. Sergio Ruiz Ramrio (UM) def. Spencer Matz (LOYNO) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
5. Alfredo Gallegos (LOYNO) def. Luis Perez (UM) 6-2, 7-5
6. Youssef Fazazi (UM) def. Jett Nguyen (LOYNO) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 6, 3, 5, 4, 1
