SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Cal Poly Mustangs rallied and claimed four of the six singles matches on Friday evening to take down the Lobos 4-3 in a tight match at the Mustang Tennis Complex.
“Tough match,” interim head coach Bart Scott said. “We have to give credit to Cal Poly. They came out of the gate in singles firing and we were tentative and that was the real difference in the match. We have to find a way to allow ourselves to play freely from the start.”
The No. 58 University of New Mexico men’s tennis team gained an early lead after clinching the doubles point with wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Hayden Sabatka and Bart Van Leijsen teamed up for a 6-3 win over Garrett Auproux and Karl Enander in the No. 1 spot. In the No. 3 spot, James Hignett and Augustus Ge defeated Lucas Lesoeur and Ben Donovan, also 6-3. Cal Poly’s Corey Pang and Devin Barber post a 6-0 win over UNM’s Rodolfo Jauregui and Jorge Escutia in the No. 2 doubles position.
However in singles action, the Mustangs came ready to battle back against the Lobos. Naveen Beasley posted the first win for Cal Poly as he defeated Hignett, 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 5 position. Donovan gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead as he defeated Mitchell McDaniels in the No. 1 spot, 6-2, 7-5. Escutia tied up the match with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the No. 6 spot, however Sabatka and Jauregui dropped lengthy three-set battles allowing Cal Poly to tally its third and fourth points. Sabatka fell to Auproux 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 while Jauregui dropped a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 match to Pang.
Van Leijsen played out his match where he defeated Lesoeur, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The Lobos, 4-6 on the season, will look to rebound tomorrow in their match against San Francisco. The match begins at 11 a.m. PT.
“Our guys battle as tough as any team in the nation and I credit them for their will and determination,” Scott added. “Tomorrow we will start fresh and see if we can build from here.”
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