March 23, 2005
Results
LAFAYETTE, La. - A straight set singles win by senior Emilio Kirby was not enough to lift the Lamar men's tennis team past Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon, as the Lions handed the Cardinals a 6-1 Southland Conference loss at the Cajun Courts on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
After inclement weather postponed the teams' Mar. 15 match in Hammond, Louisiana, the two squads met in Lafayette in compliance with SLC rules which mandate a neutral site be used following a rain out.
Wednesday's loss was the fourth straight for Lamar, dropping the Cardinals to 8-9 overall and 1-3 in league play. Southeastern Louisiana improved to 9-6 on the year with a 2-1 SLC record.
Action began with doubles play where SLU took two-of-three matches to earn the doubles point. LU's top doubles team of Ignacio Melus and Dean Clower fell to 10-4 on the year and 2-2 in league play with their third straight loss. The Lion tandem of Julien Lausao and Olivier Nussbaum posted an 8-3 decision to down the Lamar duo.
Kirby and teammate Juan Pablo Alatorre improved to 10-5 overall and 4-0 in SLC play with LU's only dual win, earning an 8-6 victory over SLU's No. 2 unit. The Cardinals also came up short at the No. 3 position, as senior Christian Olivier and sophomore David Wanja fell to 5-3 on the year with an 8-5 loss to Ondrej Krivka and Paul Birkett.
In singles play, the Lions won five of the six matches, including four with straight-set decisions. Lamar's No. 4, 5 and 6 players were dealt tough two-frame losses, while Melus saw his four-match winning streak come to an end in a tough two-set contest. The Arica, Chile native dropped a difficult first-set tie breaker to SLU's Haris Huremovic, 7-5, before coming up just short in a 6-4 second set. This week's SLC `Player of the Week', Melus slipped to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Alatorre, a senior from Mexico City, Mexico, played in the only three-set singles match of the day, but the three-year letterman lost his No. 1 match. After winning the first set, 6-4, the Lions' Krivka recorded 6-0 and 6-4 wins in the ensuing sets to earn the win. Alatorre dropped to 5-11 in singles play with the loss.
Lamar returns to action on Apr. 1 with a 5 p.m. non-conference match against Rice University in Houston.
Southeastern Louisiana 6, Lamar University 1
Singles competition:
1. Ondrej Krivka (SLU) def. Juan Pablo Alatorre (LAMAR) 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
2. Emilio Kirby (LAMAR) def. Olivier Nussbaum (SLU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Haris Huremovic (SLU) def. Ignacio Melus (LAMAR) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
4. Julien Lausao (SLU) def. Dean Clower (LAMAR) 6-3, 6-1
5. Ilie Babinciuc (SLU) def. Emmanuel Olivier (LAMAR) 6-1, 6-2
6. Paul Birkett (SLU) def. Christian Olivier (LAMAR) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition:
1. Lausao/Nussbaum (SLU) def. Clower/Melus (LAMAR) 8-3
2. Alatorre/Kirby (LAMAR) def. Babinciuc/Huremovic (SLU) 8-6
3. Krivka/Birkett (SLU) def. C. Olivier/Wanja (LAMAR) 8-5
