LOS ANGELES, Calif. — In a match that was tight throughout, the doubles point proved crucial as Loyola Marymount took a 4-3 win over New Mexico, as the Lobos dropped to 1-3 on the season. UNM now heads to BYU and Utah next weekend.
Both teams took three singles matches, meaning the opening doubles point would prove crucial. That point went LMU’s way, but it was close. At No. 2 doubles, Dominic West and Facundo Bermejo lost 6-4, but the other two doubles matches went to tiebreakers after getting to 6-6. At No. 1 doubles, Ricky Hernandez Tong and Stepan Holis went to one tiebreaker and at No. 3, Casey Recci and Tim Buttner did likewise, but UNM lost at No. 1, giving the opening point to Loyola Marymount.
From there it went to singles, and LMU went up 2-0 as Diego Nava defeated UNM’s Holis 6-1, 6-3. THe Lobos then got on the board when Stepan Holis took a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win at N0. 3 singles, making it 2-1. The Lions got within a point of the win at No. 6 singles. Casey Recci of UNM lost 6-4, 6-3 to Austin Di Gaulio, making it 3-1. Needing three wins, UNM got the first one when Facundo took a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 5 to make it 3-2.
However, Hernandez Tong was in a battle at No. 1, and despite a close match, he fell 7-5, 7-6, as LMU clinched the win. With the match clinched, Tim Buttner’s match with Max Kaiser was sent to a third set after both sets went to tiebreakers. Buttner took the 10-point super-set tiebreaker 10-3 to make the final score 4-3.