Men's Tennis 4/23/2016 3:03:00 PM James Dixon, Assistant AD/Media Relations

Top Seed Cardinals Advance to SLC Finals

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – It didn't take long for the Lamar University Cardinals tennis team earn their spot in the Southland Conference Championship match. The Cardinals dispensed No. 4 seed Nicholls, 4-0, in an hour and 40 minutes Saturday morning at the Schlief Tennis Complex.

The Cardinals (16-5) will take on No. 2 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Sunday's championship match. The Islanders eliminated New Orleans by the same score, 4-0, Saturday.

"We came out focused and confident today," said LU men's head coach Scott Shankles. "We got off to good starts in two of the three doubles matches, which is what we needed to do. We didn't want Nicholls to get the momentum and get fired up.

"Our guys treated this match with a business as usual approach. They have a laser focus right now," added Shankles.

Big Red made quick work of the doubles competition picking up wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. LU surrendered a total of three games in the two matches jumping out to a 1-0 advantage.

The Cardinals then turned their focus to the singles competition, and it was the top of their singles ladder that gave LU an insurmountable lead. Junior Nikita Lis was all over Nicholls' Oleksander Podgursky, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 2 singles to pick up the team's second point of the day.

LU then turned to classmate Michael Feucht to give the Cards a 3-0 advantage. Feucht came through with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Colonels' Evan Karatzas at No. 1 singles.

With two singles wins already in the books, the Red and White needed to win only one of the remaining four singles matches for the victory. Of the remaining four matches, the Cards led in two, was tied in one and trailed by a set in the other.

The next court to finish was at No. 6. Junior Juuso Laitinen made it seem too easy in his opening set taking a 6-0 decision over Nicholls' Kieran Cronin. The second set wasn't much more of a battle as Laitinen locked up his match, and the team victory, with a 6-2 decision.

Big Red returns to action Sunday to take on the Islanders (16-8) at 11 a.m. from the Schlief Tennis Complex. The match marks the third consecutive season the two programs have met in the championship.

"We know them and they know us," said Shankles. "We got the win last week but this is a totally different match. We need to learn from that match and improve for tomorrow. We aren't going to treat this any different than all of the other contests."

2016 Southland Conference Championships – Men's Semifinals
Lamar University 4, Nicholls 0
Schlief Tennis Complex – Nacogdoches, Texas
April 23, 2016

Singles
1. Michael Feucht (LU) def. Evan Karatzas (NICH), 6-1, 6-3
2. Nikita Lis (LU) def. Oleksander Podgursky (NICH), 6-3, 6-3
3. Sam Meessen (NICH) vs. Benny Schweizer (LU), 1-6, 4-4, Unf.
4. Sebastian Santibanez (LU) vs. Max Sinn (NICH), 6-6, Unf.
5. Jeandre Hoogenboezem (LU) vs. Bernard Wezeman (NICH), 6-3, 4-3, Unf.
6. Juuso Laitinen (LU) def. Kieran Cronin (NICH), 6-0, 6-2

Doubles
1. Feucht/Schweizer (LU) def. Podgursky/Sinn (NICH), 6-0
2. Hoogenboezem/Lis (LU) def. Meessen/Wezeman (NICH), 6-3
3. Laitinen/Santibanez (LU) vs. Karatzas/Reeve (NICH), 4-4, Unf.

-LU CARDINALS-

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Players Mentioned

Michael Feucht: 6' 2"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Jeandre Hoogenboezem: 5' 10"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Juuso Laitinen: 6' 1"; Junior; RJr.-2L

Nikita Lis: 6' 1"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Benny Schweizer: 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.-1L

Sebastian Santibanez: 5' 8"; Freshman; Fr.-HS

Players Mentioned

Michael Feucht
: 6' 2"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Jeandre Hoogenboezem
: 5' 10"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Juuso Laitinen
: 6' 1"; Junior; RJr.-2L

Nikita Lis
: 6' 1"; Junior; Jr.-2L

Benny Schweizer
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; So.-1L

Sebastian Santibanez
: 5' 8"; Freshman; Fr.-HS