#1 UT Tyler vs. #8 Western New Mexico
Thursday, Apr. 20, 8 a.m.
Arlington, Texas | Arlington Tennis Center |
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SCHEDULE |
ROSTER |
WHAT A SEASON
UT Tyler is an incredible 17-1 on the year, and 16 of those wins have now come consecutively. In that mix, the Patriots went a perfect 8-0 in LSC play, and claimed their second Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship in program history, both of which have come in the last three seasons. With those 17 wins, six have come over opponents ranked inside the ITA Top 50.
ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS APLENTY
UT Tyler's seasonal dominance has also put a stamp on the Lone Star Conference Postseason Awards, as the Patriots came away with eight selections and a trio of superlatives to go along with three academic selections.
Head coach
Chris Bizot earned LSC Men's Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots program to the top of the conference. He was joined by
Gonzalo Fernandez Gil who earned both LSC Player of the Year and Senior of the Year after his dominant season in both singles and doubles.
Fernandez Gil was also named to the All-LSC First Team Singles and Doubles teams, and was joined by teammate
Egor Shestakov on First Team Doubles and was also named to the LSC All-Academic Team.
Joaquin Bianchi was also named All-LSC First Team Singles and was named to All-LSC Second Team Doubles with teammate
Carel Wessel. Bianchi also joined Fernandez Gil on the LSC All-Academic Team.
Shestakov also earned All-LSC Second Team Singles in addition to being named the LSC Academic Player of the Year by the conferences Sports Information Directors.
Jordi Garcia Portell was named to the All-LSC Sportsmanship after demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct while displaying the true spirit of competition and college tennis.
REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY RANKED
The Patriots have taken ahold of the #1 ranking in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings as released on Wednesday. The Patriots have held on to the top spot for two consecutive weeks as they look to make their second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The Patriots were also ranked #7 in the latest ITA Rankings released on Wednesday. This is the third consecutive week the Patriots have been ranked seventh, and they have been outside the top 10 on just one occasion this year.
THE 2022 LSC TOURNAMENT
Last season, the Patriots took the #2 seed into the LSC Tournament and walked out with three straight victories and the LSC Tournament trophy for the first time in program history. The Patriots took down #7 seed UT Permian Basin, #3 seed Cameron, and #1 seed Midwestern State on their way to claiming victory.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE MUSTANGS
The Patriots squared off with Western New Mexico way back on March 10, and they came away with a dominant 7-0 win. In that win, the Patriots swept all nine matches and never let a singles match get past the second set on their way to quite possibly their best performance of the season. That win for the Patriots was the seventh of what would eventually become their current 16 match winning streak.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Mustangs have squared off three times all time, with all three editions of the matchup coming within the last three years. The Patriots have taken all three matches, two of which coming on their home courts. They have allowed the Mustangs to score just one point in the three matches, but none of the three matches have come on a neutral court.
THE SCOUTING REPORT
The Mustangs roll into the matchup on Thursday at 5-10 overall and 2-6 in LSC play. The program comes in on a five game losing streak, with their most recent victory coming back on March 24 against Sul Ross.
They have been led in singles by Patricio Larrea, who plays the #1 slot. In doubles, it is the pair of Brendan Lock and Yu Jhe Du who play the #1 slot.
NEXT UP
If the Patriots claim victory on Thursday, they will square off with the winner between #4 seed Lubbock Christian and #5 seed UAFS on Friday at 9:30 a.m. The winner of that contest will move into Saturday's championship match to be held at 9:30 a.m.
