THE RUNDOWN
TYLER, Texas – Top-ranked Tyler JC handed 16th-ranked Midwestern State its second loss of the season in a 5-2 setback at the Murphy Tennis Center on Friday. The Mustangs drop to 9-2 on the year and returns to NCAA DII competition tomorrow against 13th-ranked Southwest Baptist at 9 a.m. in Bolivar, Mo.
 
MSU won the doubles point for the seventh time this season but suffered their first setback when taking a 1-0 lead.
 
Senior Dillon Pineda and sophomore Nolan McCaig downed Karl Mosterd and Matthew Beecher, 6-4, at the No. 2 flight for the first win of the day. The Mustangs pair remained unbeaten, improving to 6-0 following the victory.
 
After a loss at the No. 3 flight by Angel Palacios and Denney Norrie, the third-ranked tandem of Ben Westwick and Alberto Diaz won a 7-5 decision against the fifth-ranked NJCAA duo of Alex Parker and Marcus Walker at the top flight.
 
Despite the early momentum, the Apaches turned the tide in singles play. TJC rattled off four wins in straight sets to clinch the win.
 
McCaig cruised to a 6-2 win in the first set before outlasting Lourenco Gasperini in a second-set tiebreaker, 8-6, for the lone singles win by MSU Texas. The Modesto, Calif., native pulled the Maroon and Gold even at 2-2.
 
Parker, ranked No. 2 in the Oracle/ITA NJCAA singles rankings, defeated sophomore Alex Martinez Roca, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 3 flight to even the match at 1-1.
 
Senior Dillon Pineda slipped up in a tightly-contested affair against 13th-ranked Simkiss, 6-4, 7-5, at the No. 2 flight for TJC's second point.
 
Fifth-ranked Palacios captured the first set in a top-five matchup at the No. 1 flight against third-ranked Walker. The junior suffered his first loss of the spring and just his second career loss at the No. 1 line in a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 affair to put the Apaches up for good.
 
After pulling off wins in doubles, freshman Ben Westwick and sophomore Alberto Diaz dropped their singles matches against 31^st-ranked Beecher and 20^th-ranked Mosterd, respectively.
 
Beecher topped Westwick, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 6 line to clinch the match moments before Mosterd downed Diaz, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 5.
 
BOX SCORE
#1 Tyler JC (9-1) def. #16 Midwestern State (9-2)
Fri. March 22, 2019 | 9 a.m.
Tyler, Texas
JoAnn Medlock Murphy Tennis Center
 
Doubles
No. 1 – #3 Ben Westwick/Alberto Diaz (MSU) def. #5 Alex Parker/Marcus Walker (TJC) 7-5
No. 2 – Dillon Pineda/Nolan McCaig (MSU) def. Karl Mosterd/Matthew Beecher (TJC) 6-4
No. 3 – Luke Simkiss/Lourenco Gasperini (TJC) def. Angel Palacios/Denney Norrie (MSU) 6-4
 
Singles
No. 1 – #3 Marcus Walter (TJC) def. #5 Angel Palacios (MSU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 – #13 Luke Simkiss (TJC) def. Dillon Pineda (MSU) 6-4, 7-5
No. 3 – #2 Alex Parker (TJC) def. Alex Martinez Roca (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 – Nolan McCaig (MSU) def. Lourenco Gasperini (TJC) 6-2, 7-6 (6)
No. 5 – #20 Karl Mosterd (TJC) def. Alberto Diaz (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 – #31 Matthew Beecher (TJC) def. Ben Westwick (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 5)
 
*TJC rankings reflect Oracle/ITA NJCAA poll

UP NEXT
MSU Texas meets 13^th-ranked Southwest Baptist tomorrow morning at the John A. Bryant Tennis Center in Bolivar, Mo. First serve is slated for 9 a.m.