Texas Tech Athletics
No. 16 South Carolina
Men's Tennis Battles No. 16 South Carolina, 4-3
February 24, 2017 | Men's Tennis
The Red Raiders wrap up their first consolation match with singles action versus Princeton at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Texas Tech men's tennis team erased a 3-0 deficit and battled back to a 4-3 decision against No. 16 South Carolina Friday during the opening round of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic.
The Red Raiders (4-7) have had four of their seven losses come against SEC opponents this season whereas the Gamecocks (9-1) bounced back from their lone loss of the season to Georgia Tech to earn their ninth win.
"I'm very proud of how our guys competed today," Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. "We were down and out, but we kept fighting before coming up a little short. We need to take care of our chances better when we have them at all times of the match if we want beat teams like South Carolina."
South Carolina took an early 3-0 lead in the match, but Texas Tech responded behind a trio of three-set singles wins to knot the score at 3-3.
Connor Curry was the first Red Raider to attack the 3-0 deficit. He claimed the opening set with a 6-3 triumph over Harrison O'Keefe in the No. 2 spot. O'Keefe answered with a 6-4 decision in set two. Curry made quick work of O'Keefe with a 6-2 victory during the third set to give Texas Tech its first point.
Alex Sendegeya fell behind early to Yancy Dennis who rattled off a 6-1 win during the opening set on court four. He took over the match and tucked away the next two frames by 6-3 and 6-4 margin to move the Red Raiders back within 3-2.
The tying point came courtesy of Bjorn Thomson in the No. 3 slot. He fired out to a 6-0, 4-0 advantage before No. 105 Thomas Mayronne rallied with six straight games of his own to register a 6-4 victory in set two. Thomson grinded out a 6-4 win during the third set to complete Texas Tech's comeback and even the tally at 3-3.Â
The deciding point came down to the top of the lineup where Texas Tech's No. 54 Jolan Cailleau was facing No. 43 Gabriel Friedrich. Cailleau notched a 6-3 set two win after being handed a 6-4 setback in the opening set. The tightly contested third set was decided late when Friedrich captured the 7-5 decision to enable the Gamecocks to escape with the 4-3 victory.
Doubles play saw South Carolina take the 1-0 edge after a tiebreaker decided the opening point on court three.
The Gamecocks gained the doubles advantage when Dennis and O'Keefe bested Cailleau and Carlos DiLaura by a 6-3 margin.
Texas Tech fired back with a 6-4 win from the top of the lineup courtesy of Curry and Thomson over Alex Fennell and Sam Swank.
On court three, Texas Tech's Jackson Cobb and Sendegeya tied up a back-and-forth affair.
Friedrich and Jubb ultimately captured the double point in a hard-fought 7-5 tiebreaker.
South Carolina stretched its advantage to 3-0 when Andrew Schafer knocked off DiLaura 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 5 spot followed by Fennell upending Cobb by a 6-0, 6-4 margin on court six.
The Red Raiders shook off the 4-3 setback to South Carolina with a quick start in doubles versus Princeton in the consolation bracket.
Cobb and Sendegeya came out strong and set the tone with a 6-0 rout of Princeton's Kial Kaiser and Diego Vives in the No. 3 spot. Curry and Thomson followed quickly for Texas Tech with a 6-2 victory against Alexander Day and Luke Gamble at the No. 1 position. When play was stopped, Cailleau and DiLaura trailed Princeton's Tom Colautti and Payton Holden by a 4-3 score line.
"I was very happy with how we bounced back in doubles against Princeton," Masi said. "I thought we really showed great spirit and played smart. We need to finish the job tomorrow and be ready for a telling tough day."
Texas Tech continues its consolation match against Princeton with singles action slated to begin at 10 a.m. followed by either a 5th place or 7th place matchup against Alabama or Boise State later that afternoon.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
Written by Katy O'Bryan, Athletics Communication Intern
No. 16 South Carolina 4, Texas Tech 3
February 24, 2017 – Lagoon Park (Montgomery, Ala.)Â
Singles
1 – No. 43 Gabriel Friedrich (SC) defeats No. 54 Jolan Cailleau (TTU): 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
2 – Connor Curry (TTU) defeats Harrison O'Keefe (SC): 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3 – Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats No. 105 Thomas Mayronne (SC): 6-0, 4-6, 6-4
4 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Yancy Dennis (SC): 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
5 – Andrew Schafer (SC) defeats Carlos DiLaura (TTU): 6-2, 6-4
6 – Alex Fennell (SC) defeats Jackson Cobb (TTU): 6-0, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 6, 2, 4, 3, 1
Doubles
1 – Connor Curry/Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats Alex Fennell/Sam Swank (SC): 6-4
2 – Yancy Dennis/Harrison O'Keefe (SC) defeats Carlos DiLaura/Jolan Cailleau (TTU): 6-3
3 – Christain Carrillo/Juri Reckow (SC) defeats Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU): 7-6 (5)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
South Carolina (9-1); National Ranking: No. 16
Texas Tech (4-7)
Texas Tech 1, Princeton 0
February 24, 2017 – Lagoon Park (Montgomery, Ala.)
Doubles
1 – Connor Curry/Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats Alexander Day/Luke Gamble (PRIN): 6-2
2 – Carlos DiLaura/Jolan Cailleau (TTU) vs. Tom Colautti/Payton Holden (PRIN): 3-4, unfinished
3 – Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Kail Kaiser/Diego Vives (PRIN): 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1 – No. 54 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
2 – Connor Curry (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
3 – Bjorn Thomson (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
4 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
5 – Carlos DiLaura (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
6 – Jackson Cobb (TTU) vs. TBD (PRIN):
Order of finish: TBD
Texas Tech (4-7)
Princeton (4-5)
Players Mentioned
