BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but wasn't able to hang on against a talented SMU squad dropping a 4-3 decision Saturday afternoon at the Thompson Family Tennis Center.
 
"This was a disappointing loss in the fact that we had a 3-0 lead but we didn't close it out," said LU head coach Scott Shankles. "SMU did a great job of weathering our storm to get the win. We did a great job on setting the tone in doubles. I thought we played smart and aggressive to win the doubles point then we followed it up by winning four first sets. We improved from last week.
 
"The next step for us is to keep the pressure on our opponents and finish them off. That is the area that SMU did really well today. A good week of practice will get us ready for South Alabama and Southern Miss," added Shankles.
 
The Cardinals came out in dominant fashion Saturday taking the first doubles matches (courts 1 and 3) to snag the early lead. Big Red carried the momentum into the start of singles play as LU grabbed four first sets. Unfortunately for the Red and White, two of those courts went to a third set and both were won by the Mustangs.
 
Sophomore Joshua Taylor gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with his straight-sets victory over Michael Smith at No. 6 singles. Taylor ousted his opponent with identical 6-2 scores for the advantage. LU was on the verge of the overall victory after junior Carlos Paton Canal picked up a win in straights sets over Tomas Vaise. Just like Taylor on court 6, Paton Canal recorded identical scores, 6-4, 6-4, for the victory.
 
With their backs against the wall, SMU responded the way a veteran team is expected preventing the Cardinals from getting the knockout punch. The Mustangs got on the scoreboard with a win on court No. 2 and followed that up with three-set victories at courts 4 and 1, respectively, to tie the match at 3 with the final decision coming down to court No. 5
 
The battle at No. 5 singles also came down to a third set but saw SMU's Huntley Allen escape Beaumont with a 6-2, 5-7, 4-6 decision over LU's Josh Sundaram.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 1, when they travel to Mobile, Ala to take on Southern Alabama. The match against the Jaguars will begin at noon.