Feb. 22, 2005
Results
Centenary ( Match 1, Match 2)
Alcorn State - ( Match)
Samford - ( Match)
Grambling State - (Match)
LORMAN, Miss. - The Lamar men's tennis team racked up five wins over the weekend, posting a trio of non-conference victories in Louisiana and two in Mississippi.
The Cardinals improved to 7-4 on the year after the weekend success, while upping their current win streak to six. LU kicks off the Southland Conference season on Friday, Feb. 25 with a 10 a.m. match against Texas-Arlington.
On Friday, Lamar traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana to take on Centenary. The Cardinals hammered the overmatched Gents, 7-0. None of the LU singles players dropped a set and the doubles teams lost only three games combined in the lopsided win. Lamar followed the first dual match with a second, modified dual match against Centenary.
The two teams played only four singles matches and a best two-of-three set doubles match with a five-point scoring system. LU again dominated, with a 4-1 win, despite dropping the No. 4 singles match. Lamar newcomer David Wanja posted his victory as a Cardinal with a 6-0, 6-2 decision at the No. 3.
On Saturday, the Cardinals headed to Lorman, Mississippi where they took on Alcorn State and Samford. Both matches resulted in difficult 4-3 decisions in favor of Lamar.
The first match of the day was against the Braves of ASU. LU swept through the doubles matches to earn the team point, but the singles action was much more competitive. Lamar No. 2 Emilio Kirby earned a straight set victory (6-2, 6-2) over Marcos Hernandez, while senior Dean Clower out-fought Alcorn's No. 4 to win 7-6 (5) and 6-4. Wanja helped secure the win for Lamar with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 6.
The second match of the day was equally difficult, but the Cardinals again earned a victory after taking the all-important doubles point, winning two of the three matches. Kirby and Clower each contributed wins in singles action, while senior Ignacio Melus came up with a big three-set win at the No. 3 over Samford's Renan Silveira, 4-6, 7-6 and 6-4.
Behind the momentum of two flawless days of action, the LU squad tangled with Grambling State on Sunday in a neutral site match in Alexandria, Louisiana. The Cardinals had little trouble dispatching the Tigers, taking a 7-0 win.
For the fifth time in five matches, Lamar won the doubles point, fueled by the eighth-straight win from the No. 1 doubles tandem of Melus and Clower. The pair improved to 8-1 on the year with an 8-2 whipping of GSU's Jamon Clayton and Dexter Mahare.
In singles play, Clower and Emilio finished off a perfect weekend with straight set wins at the No. 4 and No. 2, respectively. Clower won his seventh straight, taking care of Marcus Ashley, 6-3 and 6-3, while Kirby dropped Clayton by scores of 6-3 and 6-4.
Senior Juan Pablo Alatorre earned his fourth win of the year at the No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Dellon Lorimer. Freshman Emmanuel Olivier earned a straight set win at the No. 5, improving to 4-6 on the year.
