THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University men's tennis team made the trip to Baton Rouge for its first weekend of the spring season and came up short in all three matches in the Jerry Simmons Invitational, hosted by LSU.

The Colonels were shut out against South Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, 4-0. They moved on to play Southland foe Lamar on Sunday morning and lost a close 4-2 matchup. Eduardo Marino and Alvaro Barranco Vilaltella each won in straight sets against the Cardinals.

"We saw some great competition and I was pleased with the improvement across the line," said Greg Harkins, Nicholls head tennis coach. "We're a young squad and still need to work on our intensity and continue to grow. We improved each match and gave Lamar a fight to the finish. Hopefully, that will bode well for us as we move forward in the spring."

Although the Colonels did not record any points against USF, Dylan Loru led in the second set and Nestor Giribet Lopez was tied when play was suspended after the Bulls claimed their fourth point. Against ULL, Tobias Lentz won the opening set at No. 3 before singles were called. Along with three wins in singles against the Colonels, ULL took courts 1 and 3 in doubles, 6-1 and 6-3.

Nicholls dropped the doubles point against Lamar, but singles were nearly a 3-3 split. Barranco dominated at the No. 6 line, winning 6-0, 6-1. Marino won a close set at No. 4, 7-5, before clinching the match with a 6-1 victory in the second.

LU won courts 3 and 2 before Axel Vila Antuna secured the team victory with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win against Lentz. Moritz Borges was in the third set in his match when it went final.

UP NEXT
The Colonels will make their home debut Friday, Feb. 1 against UTSA. First serve at the Colonel Tennis Complex is scheduled for 2 p.m.

ADMISSION
Admission to all Colonel home tennis matches is free of charge.

FOLLOW ALONG
The men's tennis team can be followed all season long on Twitter @Nicholls_MTEN.