TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's tennis team will be looking to build off of the program's first ever Lone Star Conference win last weekend against St. Mary's in home matches this weekend against UAFS and Cameron.
The pair of matches against UAFS and Cameron will be the first home Lone Star Conference matches in the program's history. The Patriots defeated St. Mary's, who entered the week a spot ahead of UT Tyler in the most recent South Central Regional Ranking released by the ITA, on Saturday afternoon by a 5-2 total to move their overall record to 4-7 on the year.
A tough non-conference slate that included three road top-25 matches and a pair of matches against Division I competition allowed the Patriots to open up at no. 4 in the latest ITA/NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings on Mar. 23.
HISTORY MADE
UT Tyler claimed the school's first ever win in a Lone Star Conference match last Saturday, taking down a St. Mary's team that entered the weekend with an overall record of 8-2 and a no. 3 ranking in the latest South Central Region Poll. UT Tyler claimed victories in the top two doubles matches and won four of the six singles matches to secure the opening LSC win of the year for the Patriots.
Jan Lucca Marquardt and Gonzalez Fernandez Gil both had straight-sets victories in the no. 2 and no. 3 singles position while
Yudai Watanabe and
Jonas Dixon claimed the other two singles victories on the day in the no. 4 and no. 6 spots.
DEVELOPING THE DEPTH
UT Tyler showcased a strong core of talented options for head coach
Adam Cohen in the win against St. Mary's as it is becoming apparent that the depth of the Patriot lineup is beginning to flex it's muscles. Marquardt and Shestakov have held their own in the no. 1 and no. 2 singles positions all season long, but the true difference maker in the remaining six Lone Star Conference matches for the Patriots this spring will be the overall output of the team late into matches.
Fernandez Gil and Watanabe have done just that in the most recent outings for the Patriots, as Watanabe has recorded wins in four of his last five singles matches, including a victory over no. 9 ranked Manuel Pilotto of Southeastern Oklahoma State. Fernandez Gil has been just as effective as of late, winning four of his last five matches to join forces with Watanabe to provide support of the top two options for UT Tyler in Marquardt and Shestakov.
