SAN DIEGO – Despite highly competitive play in both doubles and singles, the San Diego State men's tennis team was unable to get the desired result on the scoreboard Wednesday, falling to Loyola Marymount by a 5-2 tally in a non-conference dual match at Aztec Tennis Center.
With the loss, the Aztecs suffered their fourth straight defeat, dropping to 2-6 on the year, while the Lions move to 3-5 overall.
SDSU once again found itself on the wrong side of a 1-0 score after ceding the early doubles point.
The Aztec tandem of Johannes Seeman and Victor Castro were dealt a narrow 6-4 defeat by the duo of Diego Nava and Daniel Moreno in the No. 1 position before Ignacio Martinez and Judson Blair turned the tables with a 6-3 triumph over the combo of Ethan Prost and Emin Torlic in the second spot.
All eyes turned to the No. 3 court where the newly-minted pairing of Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and Roni Rikkonen were locked in a tight battle with Austin Di Giulio and John Bryan Otico. However, the Lion tandem escaped with a 6-4 decision to spoil the debut.
As singles play unfolded, LMU increased its lead to 2-0 after Di Giulio emerged with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the fourth position over Aaro Pollanen, who returned to the Aztec rotation after a five-match absence.
SDSU quickly cut the deficit in half, as Seeman improved to 5-2 on the season after toppling Nava at the No. 1 spot, 7-6(3), 6-2.
However, the Aztecs could not gain the upper hand, splitting the next two decisions, as the Lions nursed a slim 3-2 advantage. Rikkonen was edged by Prost in the sixth slot, 6-4, 6-4, before Gonzalez Almazan outlasted Otico in three sets, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to trim the deficit.
Needing a pair of wins to pull off the come-from-behind team victory, the Scarlet and Black battled valiantly through two more three-setters on courts two and five but came up empty in its quest.
At No. 5, Castro lost a nail-biter to Max Kaiser, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, giving LMU the requisite fourth point to clinch the dual. Moments later, Moreno prevailed over Martinez in the second spot, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-2, to account for the final score.
The same two teams will square off again on Sunday, March 21, at LMU Tennis Center in Los Angeles. Match time is set for 1 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Fall to LMU, 5-2
