MATCH RESULTS
THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's tennis team collected the doubles point and three thrilling singles wins to snap a seven-match skid with a 4-3 victory over rival New Orleans in Southland Conference play Wednesday afternoon at the Colonel Tennis Complex.
The Colonels (3-7, 1-1 SLC) swept a doubleheader to start the season but had not won since opening day. Along with capturing their third win of the season, the victory also evens their conference record at 1-1.
The match came down to freshman
Lewis Cox' matchup at No. 4 against Nicolas Kramer. Cox dropped the first set, 4-6, before knotting the match with a 6-2 victory in the second. In the third, Cox was down 4-1 before turning on the switch and winning six of the final seven points. For the match-winner, the freshman forced Kramer into a tough shot that hit the net, sending the Colonels storming on the court.
"I just got my head in the right place and barely missed a ball in the next five games," said Cox, who was named Southland Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday. "Just mental toughness. Basically, just not willing to let him have a single easy point and just make every single ball and have him make the error at the end of the day."
Cox and
Nestor Giribet Lopez teamed up for a 6-2 win in doubles, clinching the point after
Oleksander Podgursky and
Tobias Lentz started things off with a 6-1 win at No. 1.
In singles, New Orleans (4-6, 0-1 SLC) grabbed a lead with straight-set wins at No. 3 and 2. But Lopez fought back from a first-set loss at No. 6 to take down Lorenzo Camilli, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
With the match tied, Podgurksy put Nicholls ahead with a close 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) victory over Federico Boscarino on the top court, but UNO's Giacomo Adoncecchi put the score back even at 3-all with a win over
Eduardo Marino. The deciding point came down to Cox, who went on to win his third consecutive singles match.
UP NEXT
The Colonels continue their home standing with three more matches, starting Thursday against Alcorn State. First ball at the Colonel Tennis Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m.
