Texas Tech University Athletics
Friday, March 24
The Falls Tennis & Athletic Club
8:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
4
vs
1
No. 28 Memphis
Men's Tennis Grinds Past No. 28 Memphis, 4-1
March 25, 2017 | Men's Tennis
The Red Raiders have won back-to-back matches over Top 35 opponents.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's tennis team knocked off another Top 35 team and defeated No. 28 Memphis by a 4-1 margin on Friday at the Falls Tennis and Athletic Club.
The Red Raiders (8-10) added Memphis (12-4) to the list of ranked teams they have defeated this year which includes No. 35 Indiana and No. 50 Alabama.
"The biggest thing is that the guys are starting to show some perseverance," Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. "Earlier on in the season, we didn't show maturity on the court. The guys are starting to feel more comfortable, and they feel confident in the tight moments. We lost a few tiebreakers early on in singles, but we were able to win the biggest ones. We clinched the doubles, and Bjorn won a big one in the third set."
Texas Tech set the tone with a pair of strong victories on courts one and three in doubles to claim the 1-0 lead over the Tigers.
Memphis struck first as Ryan Peniston and Felix Rauch collected a 6-4 victory over Jolan Cailleau and Carlos DiLaura at the No. 2 position.
The Red Raiders responded with a 6-4 win of their own by No. 24 Bjorn Thomson and Connor Curry who outlasted Kai Lemke and Andrew Watson at the top of the lineup.
The clincher went to Texas Tech's Alex Sendegeya and Jackson Cobb, who battled Jan Pallares and Matt Story of Memphis for the match point in a heated tiebreaker.
Down 5-4, an overhead smash by Sendegeya knotted the score. Cobb gained the 6-5 advantage for the Red Raiders after he ended a long rally with a volley. Texas Tech tied the knot on the victory after a smooth Sendegeya forehand gave Cobb an opportunity for a perfectly placed crosscourt volley.
"The doubles point was big especially against a team like Memphis," Masi said. "We knew they were going to be rock solid all the way through their singles lineup. It was big not to put the guys in a hole early. More importantly, Alex and Jackson had been on the cusp on winning one of these tight matches. They've come up short a few times, but I told them right before the tiebreaker that this one was yours. They come up big with some good points to bring it home."
The Tigers didn't let the loss of the doubles point sway them and earned the first sets on three of the four courts before Texas Tech fought back to take control of the match.
Memphis drew even at 1-1 when Lemke took down Curry by a 7-6 (7), 6-4 margin on court three.
No. 60 Thomson proved once again that he was not a force to be reckoned with. The first two sets were decided by a 6-3 scoreline. He dug deep and rattled off the closing three points to turn back a 5-4 deficit in the winner-take-all third set tiebreaker. The victory enabled Thomson to improve to 13-0 in dual match play and pushed Texas Tech back ahead 2-1.
No. 42 Cailleau extended the lead to 3-1 after a three-set triumph versus Peniston on the No. 1 singles line. He tucked away a 6-4 opening set and bounced back from a 7-1 defeat in the second set tiebreaker. Cailleau steamrolled his opponent by a 6-1 margin during the third set.
Sendegeya brought the Red Raiders home for the second straight match. Last week, he provided the clincher over No. 35 Indiana. Chris Patzanovsky picked up a 7-2 win in the first set tiebreaker, but Sendegeya fired back 6-3 and 7-5 to earn the fourth point for the Red Raiders.
When play was stopped, Pallares held an early 4-1 advantage against DiLaura in the No. 5 spot.
"Both Bjorn and Alex lost the first set, but they came back to win the next two. They showed some good fight and will there. Bjorn broke back in the third after being down early and saved three match points at 5-6. He's such a competitor and so is Alex. His third set went back and forth. He could have easily gotten frustrated. At 5-5, he broke his opponent and served out a pretty good last game."
Texas Tech looks to ride its momentum and returns to the road to take on Tulsa next Friday. First serve is on-tap for 5 p.m. CT from the Case Tennis Center.
The Red Raiders next home match will be their Big 12 opener versus Oklahoma State on Friday, April 7. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT at the McLeod Tennis Center. Admission is free to all home tennis matches.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
Written by Katy O'Bryan, Athletics Communications Student Assistant
Texas Tech 4, No. 28 Memphis 1
March 24, 2017 – The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club (Lubbock, TX)
Singles
1 – No. 42 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) defeats Ryan Peniston (UM): 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-1
2 – No. 60 Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats No. 75 Andrew Watson (UM): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
3 – Kai Lemke (UM) defeats Connor Curry (TTU): 7-6 (7), 6-4
4 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Chris Patzanovsky (UM): 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-5
5 – Carlos DiLaura (TTU) vs. Jan Pallares (UM): 1-4, unfinished
6 – Jackson Cobb (TTU) vs. Felix Rauch (UM): no result
Order of finish 3, 2, 1, 4
Doubles
1 – No. 24 Connor Curry/ Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats Kai Lamke/Andrew Watson (UM): 6-4
2 – Ryan Paniston/Felix Rauch (UM) defeats Carlos DiLaura/Jolan Cailleau (TTU): 6-4
3 – Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Jan Pallares/Matt Story (UM): 7-6 (5)
Order of finish 2, 1, 3
Memphis (12-4); National Ranking – No. 28
Texas Tech (8-10)
The Red Raiders (8-10) added Memphis (12-4) to the list of ranked teams they have defeated this year which includes No. 35 Indiana and No. 50 Alabama.
"The biggest thing is that the guys are starting to show some perseverance," Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. "Earlier on in the season, we didn't show maturity on the court. The guys are starting to feel more comfortable, and they feel confident in the tight moments. We lost a few tiebreakers early on in singles, but we were able to win the biggest ones. We clinched the doubles, and Bjorn won a big one in the third set."
Texas Tech set the tone with a pair of strong victories on courts one and three in doubles to claim the 1-0 lead over the Tigers.
Memphis struck first as Ryan Peniston and Felix Rauch collected a 6-4 victory over Jolan Cailleau and Carlos DiLaura at the No. 2 position.
The Red Raiders responded with a 6-4 win of their own by No. 24 Bjorn Thomson and Connor Curry who outlasted Kai Lemke and Andrew Watson at the top of the lineup.
The clincher went to Texas Tech's Alex Sendegeya and Jackson Cobb, who battled Jan Pallares and Matt Story of Memphis for the match point in a heated tiebreaker.
Down 5-4, an overhead smash by Sendegeya knotted the score. Cobb gained the 6-5 advantage for the Red Raiders after he ended a long rally with a volley. Texas Tech tied the knot on the victory after a smooth Sendegeya forehand gave Cobb an opportunity for a perfectly placed crosscourt volley.
"The doubles point was big especially against a team like Memphis," Masi said. "We knew they were going to be rock solid all the way through their singles lineup. It was big not to put the guys in a hole early. More importantly, Alex and Jackson had been on the cusp on winning one of these tight matches. They've come up short a few times, but I told them right before the tiebreaker that this one was yours. They come up big with some good points to bring it home."
The Tigers didn't let the loss of the doubles point sway them and earned the first sets on three of the four courts before Texas Tech fought back to take control of the match.
Memphis drew even at 1-1 when Lemke took down Curry by a 7-6 (7), 6-4 margin on court three.
No. 60 Thomson proved once again that he was not a force to be reckoned with. The first two sets were decided by a 6-3 scoreline. He dug deep and rattled off the closing three points to turn back a 5-4 deficit in the winner-take-all third set tiebreaker. The victory enabled Thomson to improve to 13-0 in dual match play and pushed Texas Tech back ahead 2-1.
No. 42 Cailleau extended the lead to 3-1 after a three-set triumph versus Peniston on the No. 1 singles line. He tucked away a 6-4 opening set and bounced back from a 7-1 defeat in the second set tiebreaker. Cailleau steamrolled his opponent by a 6-1 margin during the third set.
Sendegeya brought the Red Raiders home for the second straight match. Last week, he provided the clincher over No. 35 Indiana. Chris Patzanovsky picked up a 7-2 win in the first set tiebreaker, but Sendegeya fired back 6-3 and 7-5 to earn the fourth point for the Red Raiders.
When play was stopped, Pallares held an early 4-1 advantage against DiLaura in the No. 5 spot.
"Both Bjorn and Alex lost the first set, but they came back to win the next two. They showed some good fight and will there. Bjorn broke back in the third after being down early and saved three match points at 5-6. He's such a competitor and so is Alex. His third set went back and forth. He could have easily gotten frustrated. At 5-5, he broke his opponent and served out a pretty good last game."
Texas Tech looks to ride its momentum and returns to the road to take on Tulsa next Friday. First serve is on-tap for 5 p.m. CT from the Case Tennis Center.
The Red Raiders next home match will be their Big 12 opener versus Oklahoma State on Friday, April 7. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT at the McLeod Tennis Center. Admission is free to all home tennis matches.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
Written by Katy O'Bryan, Athletics Communications Student Assistant
Texas Tech 4, No. 28 Memphis 1
March 24, 2017 – The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club (Lubbock, TX)
Singles
1 – No. 42 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) defeats Ryan Peniston (UM): 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-1
2 – No. 60 Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats No. 75 Andrew Watson (UM): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
3 – Kai Lemke (UM) defeats Connor Curry (TTU): 7-6 (7), 6-4
4 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Chris Patzanovsky (UM): 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-5
5 – Carlos DiLaura (TTU) vs. Jan Pallares (UM): 1-4, unfinished
6 – Jackson Cobb (TTU) vs. Felix Rauch (UM): no result
Order of finish 3, 2, 1, 4
Doubles
1 – No. 24 Connor Curry/ Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats Kai Lamke/Andrew Watson (UM): 6-4
2 – Ryan Paniston/Felix Rauch (UM) defeats Carlos DiLaura/Jolan Cailleau (TTU): 6-4
3 – Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Jan Pallares/Matt Story (UM): 7-6 (5)
Order of finish 2, 1, 3
Memphis (12-4); National Ranking – No. 28
Texas Tech (8-10)
Players Mentioned
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