Fresno State Athletics
`Dogs and Waves Get Wet
1/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 22, 2012
By Kate Whitney
katewhitney23@gmail.com
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - In the match against Fresno State men's tennis and Pepperdine... the rain won. The Bulldogs and Waves toughed out the cold weather but in the end they were no match for Mother Nature who had other plans for Sunday's match.
The 'Dogs started off the day in doubles play where they fell to No. 12 Pepperdine. The position two doubles team, Jean-Charles Diame and partner Zachary Leslie were bested by Finn Tearney and partner Alex Llompart, 8-1. David Ayoun and partner Sai Kartik Nakireddi had an excited match on court three with Pepperdine's Hugh Clarke and David Sofaer, but the Pepperdine duo pulled out the victory in the end, 8-6.
The position one duo, Remi Boutillier and partner Francis Alcantara earned the only Bulldog win against Jenson Turner and Sebastian Fanselow, 8-6. However, their win did not count towards dual play since Pepperdine had already clinched the point.
In singles, the Bulldogs faced off against four nationally ranked players from the Pepperdine team, No. 21 Fanselow, No. 35 Tearney, No. 49 Mousheg Hovhannisyan and No. 106 Clarke.
Reid DeLaubenfels on court six, Diame (3) and Leslie finished their matches against Pepperdine before the match was stopped due to poor weather. Leslie, at the No. 5 position, was the only Bulldog to beat his opponent No. 106 Clarke, 6-3, 6-1.
The match resumed at 7 p.m. and Ayoun (4) was the first to start an exciting comeback for the Bulldogs in his back-and-forth match against Llompart. Before the break, Ayoun rallied from behind to send the match into a third set. Then in a tough battle he bested Llompart, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, to keep the 'Dogs on hunt for the win.
The highlight of the match however was in the next Bulldog victory on court two when No. 44 Alcantara defeated Pepperdine's No. 21 Fanselow.
Alcantara gave Fanselow some tough competition throughout the first two sets despite falling behind before the break. Then amidst the water marks on the court and winter chill, Alcantara gained momentum in the third set and wowed the stands as he sent Fanselow packing in a thrilling victory, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
"It felt great to beat a ranked player like (Fanselow)," Alcantara said. "I personally had nothing to lose, so I played hard and did everything I could to help my team."
With Bulldog spirits high, Boutillier took on No. 35 Tearney to decide the match at the No. 1 position. In another rollercoaster of a match, Boutillier took Tearney to the third set before Mother Nature decided she had enough. The match was called at 8:45 p.m. with Tearney leading, 5-7, 7-6, 5-3.
The winner in the battle against Fresno State and Pepperdine will be determined at a later date.
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