LUBBOCK, Texas -- Luis Diaz Argente,
Charles Heffernan,
Marcal Miret Avante and
Germano Setti all won three-set matches in singles as Midwestern State defeated Lubbock Christian at the Penny Gullo Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon, 5-2. The Mustangs are 2-0 in the Lone Star Conference, and the 27th-ranked team in the nation improved its overall record to 9-7.
Diaz knocked off Martins Abamu, who is ranked No. 13 in the nation. The senior from Nigeria won the ITA Division II South Central Region singles championship and was 7-0 playing No. 1 singles for Lubbock Christian.
Abamu won the first set 6-2, but Diaz was able to ratchet up his level and win a second-set tiebreak, 7-5. Diaz, a senior from Spain, pulled away to win the decisive third set at No. 1 singles, 6-2, ending a four-match winning streak for Abamu.
Senior
Charles Heffernan improved to 5-4 at No. 2 singles for Midwestern State, winning a seesaw affair with Kelly Giese, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Miret won his fourth straight match for Midwestern State, outlasting Herman Aguirre at No. 3 singles, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
Setti improved to 10-6 in singles overall with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles. Setti is 2-0 in conference matches and has won seven of his last 10 matches for the Mustangs. Setti's victory over Nikita Deev clinched the dual-match for the Mustangs.
Killian Guillou extended his winning streak for MSU to seven matches with a routine 6-3, 6-1 victory over Sabri Laphitz at No. 5 singles.
Stephen Slocombe lost his first singles match in four appearances for Midwestern State. Slocombe had not dropped a set in his previous three singles matches but fell to Braden Tipton at No. 6 singles, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-10.
Lubbock Christian took an early 1-0 lead in the dual by capturing the doubles point. Abamu and Aguirre secured the point with a 7-5 victory over Heffernan and Guillou at No. 3 doubles. Giese and Tipton upended the Mustangs pairing of Miret and Setti.
Diaz and Slocombe were paired together for the first time this season and defeated the Chaps' duo of Deev and Alex Donnelly, 7-5.
Lubbock Christian falls to 7-6 overall this season and is 1-1 in its inaugural LSC campaign.
Midwestern State hosts Western New Mexico at the MSU Tennis Center for an LSC dual-match on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
