Boston University
Florida Atlantic
Terriers End Spring Break with Tough Losses to USM, FAU
March 13, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Results: Southern Miss (L, 4-3) | Florida Atlantic (L, 6-1)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - After dropping a 6-1 decision at Florida Atlantic, the Boston University men's tennis team battled Southern Mississippi to the very end in a 4-3 defeat on Friday afternoon.
FAU won two of three doubles matches and claimed five singles points, including four in straight sets, on Thursday afternoon to improve to 10-7. The Terriers (2-5) rebounded with a valiant effort against the Golden Eagles (12-4) but lost the tiebreaker in both the deciding doubles and singles matches.
Sophomore Jay Leelavanich led BU by remaining perfect in the No. 3 singles slot at 5-0 with a pair of straight set victories. On Thursday at FAU, he coasted past Zandrix Acob, 6-2, 6-1. Sophomore Jake De Vries was the other Terrier to win a set at No. 5 against the Owls but ultimately came up short, 2-6, 6-4, 10-5.
In doubles action, sophomores Mario Sandoval and Lucas Bombonatti won the tiebreaker against the Owls for a 6-5 win at No. 2. The Golden Eagles though won the tiebreaker the following day to claim the doubles point.
All three doubles matches against USM went down to the wire with De Vries and Leelavanich winning, 6-4, at No. 3 and the Golden Eagles winning at No. 1 by an identical score.
Needing to win four singles points, the Terriers captured three in straight sets off the raquets of Leelavanich, Sandoval (#4) and Bombonatti (#5). USM claimed wins at No. 2 and 6 in straight sets as well to set up a showdown between junior William Kwok and the Golden Eagles' Wen-Po Tseng in the top singles slot.
The two went back-and-forth with Tseng prevailing in the third-set tiebreaker for the 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Kwok and to give the USM the team victory.
After playing four matches in seven days, the Terriers will take two weeks off before resuming conference action at defending champion Army on Saturday, March 28, at 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
