March 10, 2008
DALLAS (SMU)--The SMU men's tennis team played a gritty match, but fell to No. 31 Indiana, 4-3, Monday afternoon at the Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas. The Mustangs are now 10-6 on the season.
The doubles point ended up being the difference-maker for the Hoosiers (10-2), who won two of the three matches. At No. 1, Robin Fahgen paired with Alex Skrypko to defeat Lachlan Ferguson and Phillip Eilers, 8-6. At No. 3, David Kuczer and Adham el-Effendi dropped to Peter Antons and Santiago Gruter, 8-4. The doubles point hinged on the match at No. 2. Oivind Alver and Chris Hooshyar gave Thomas Richter and Dara McLoughlin a close match, but could not hold on for the win, falling, 9-7.
In singles, the Mustangs had a strong outing in the top half of the lineup. Kuczer was back at No 1, and started down to Richter. Richter took the first set, 6-2, but Kuczer battled back to win the next two, 6-4, 6-2. At No. 2, Fahgen squeaked by McLoughlin, taking the match in very tight straight sets, 6-4, 7-6. Skrypko won his second match in as many days, winning in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
The Hoosiers weren't going down without a fight, however. Ferguson defeated Hooshyar at No. 4, pulling out a close, straight-sets win, 7-6, 6-3. At No. 5, Alver battled, but could not overcome McCarthy, who won 7-5, 6-3. Adolfo Solares recorded his first singles loss of the year, falling to Gruter at No. 6, 6-3, 6-4.
"This was a super tough match," said head coach Carl Neufeld. "We had a chance to win at No. 2 doubles, but we just couldn't close. In singles, our top three guys played great. We just couldn't come through on our depth, which is usually what we pride ourselves on. It was a hard-fought match against a very good team. Ultimately, it came down to doubles. I feel like we're getting better in doubles; we just weren't aggressive enough. In the moment of truth, we just weren't aggressive enough and that's what decided this match."
The Mustangs will have a few days off before embarking on a journey to the west coast, facing San Francisco Friday (March 14) at 10am and Cal Saturday at 10am. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.
No. 31 Indiana 4, No. 65 SMU 3
Doubles:
1. Fahgen/Skrypko (SMU) def. Ferguson/Eilers (IU) 8-6
2. Richter/McLoughlin (IU) def. Alver/Hooshyar (SMU) 9-7
3. Antons/Gruter(IU) def. Kuczer/el-Effendi (SMU) 8-4
Singles:
1. #117 David Kuczer (SMU) def. Thomas Richter (IU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. #62 Robin Fahgen (SMU) def. Dara McLoughling (IU) 6-4, 7-6
3. Alex Skrypko (SMU) def. Phillip Eilers (IU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Lachlan Ferguson (IU) def. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) 7-6, 6-3
5. Michael McCarthy (IU) def. Oivind Alver (SMU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Santiago Gruter (IU) def. Adolfo Solares (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
