THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's tennis team picked up a victory against SMU on Sunday, 4-3, to cap off its weekend trip to Texas. On Saturday, the Colonels put up a strong effort against No. 26 Texas A&M, but could not crack the scoring column.

“I couldn't be prouder than I am of our guys. It was an incredible win against SMU, especially coming off a match against a nationally-ranked opponent” said Nicholls tennis head coach Meenakshi Sundaram. “It was a complete team effort and everyone has been contributing since day one.”

Nicholls (2-1) fell behind 1-0 after doubles play when the Colonels lost a pair of tight matches. Dmitry Kozionov and Damian Despotovski lost 8-7 in the No. 2 match, and Nico Mertens/ Jeoffrey Noblecourt fell 8-6 in the No. 3 flight.

In singles play, Nicholls bounced back to even the score at 3-3 after notching straight-set victories in three of the first five complete matches. Kozionov continued his stellar play with a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 86 Artus Kazijevs in the top pairing. Roy Knight earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Pablo Perez-Esnaola at the No. 4 spot and James Russell recorded a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against Eduardo Razzeto at No. 6.

The match came down to the No. 3 position, where Mertens squared off against Nate Lammons. Mertens edged Lammons 7-5 in the first set before falling 6-3 in the second. In the decisive set, the two battled to extra points with Mertens clinching the victory for Nicholls with a 7-6 (10-8) win.

On Saturday, although Nicholls was shutout by the nationally-ranked Aggies, two matches went into three sets, and Knight lost a close match 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) versus No. 87 Jordan Szabo.

The Colonels will return to the court next weekend in Hattiesburg, Miss. with matches against Jacksonville State (Jan. 26) and Southern Miss (Jan. 27).

#26 Texas A&M 7, Nicholls 0
Singles competition
1. Jeremy Efferding (TAMU) def. Dmitry Kozionov (NICH) 6-4, 6-0
2. Harrison Adams (TAMU) def. Damian Despotovski (NICH) 6-1, 5-7, 10-4
3. Shane Vinsant (TAMU) def. Nico Mertens (NICH) 6-4, 2-6, 10-7
4. #87 Jordan Szabo (TAMU) def. Roy Knight (NICH) 7-5, 7-6 (7-2)
5. Behzad Minavi (TAMU) def. Manel Estruega (NICH) 6-0, 6-0
6. Niall Angus (TAMU) def. James Russell (NICH) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #6 Harrison Adams/Shane Vinsant (TAMU) def. James Russell/Roy Knight (NICH) 8-4
2. Jeremy Efferding/Jordan Szabo (TAMU) def. Dmitry Kozionov/Manel Estruega (NICH) 8-2
3. Niall Angus/Jackson Withrow (TAMU) def. Jeoffrey Noblecourt/Nico Mertens (NICH) 8-3

Match Notes:
Nicholls 1-1
Texas A&M 2-0; National ranking #26



Nicholls 4, SMU 3
Singles competition
1. Dmitry Kozionov (NICH) def. #86 Artus Kazijevs (SMU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Alex Sanders (SMU) def. Damian Despotovski (NICH) 6-1, 6-1
3. Nico Mertens (NICH) def. Nate Lammons (SMU) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8)
4. Roy Knight (NICH) def. Pablo Perez-Esnaola (SMU) 6-3, 7-5
5. Mischa Nowicki (SMU) def. Manel Estruega (NICH) 6-2, 6-1
6. James Russell (NICH) def. Eduardo Razzeto (SMU) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Roy Knight/James Russell (NICH) vs. Artus Kazijevs/Mischa Nowicki (SMU) no result
2. Ross Peets/Alex Sanders (SMU) def. Dmitry Kozionov/Damian Despotovski (NICH) 8-7
3. Pablo Perez-Esnaola/Nate Lammons (SMU) def. Nico Mertens/Jeoffrey Noblecourt (NICH) 8-6

Match Notes:
Nicholls 2-1
SMU 0-2