ODESSA, Texas – UT Permian Basin upset No. 15-ranked Midwestern State on Saturday afternoon at Ratliffe Stadium Tennis Courts, 5-2, claiming its second straight win over the Mustangs after losing the first 13 encounters.
Midwestern State fell to 9-4 for the season and is 1-2 in the Lone Star Conference. The Falcons are 2-0 to start conference play and improved to 7-4 overall.
No. 32-ranked Bruno Sanchez remains hot for the Mustangs. The freshman from Spain has won eight of his last nine matches and improved to 7-5 at No. 2 singles with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 triumph over Lucas Nakasato. Sanchez earned the first point for MSU after the Mustangs were swept in doubles.
Senior Stephen Slocombe won two tight sets against Grzegorz Rudnicki, 7-5, 7-6 (4) to keep the Falcons from clinching with a victory at No. 3 singles. Slocombe has reeled off seven straight wins in singles for the Stangs and is 8-3 in his 11 starts this spring.
Jonathan Vega upended No. 11-ranked Filip Vacula, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1 singles. Vacula fell to 1-2 in conference play, and the freshman is 6-5 in the No. 1 position for MSU this season.
Phillip Kamara fell in three sets to Sergio Gonzalez at No. 4 singles, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, and the junior from Romania is 7-4 with back-to-back losses in conference duals. Gonzalez clinched the dual match victory for the Falcons, who also defeated MSU in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional at MSU Tennis Center last year.
Jose Marquez came out on the short end of a tightly contested match with Jonas Krahofer, who prevailed in a super tiebreak at No. 5 singles., 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-8. Marquez is 1-2 in conference matches and 5-4 for the season.
Lukas Nitzschke won a pivotal match for the Falcons at No. 6 singles, defeating Justin Van Amerongen, 7-5, 6-3. Van Amerongen fell to 1-3 in No. 6 position for the Mustangs, and he is 0-2 against LSC opponents.
Midwestern State must wait until April 11th to bounce back. The Mustangs' next dual match is at Sul Ross State. First serve is scheduled for noon.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
