Men's Tennis Splits Weekend Matches

Box Score 1 DURANT, Okla. – No. 18 Southeastern men's tennis split a pair of matches over the weekend, opening with a 4-0 loss to Midwestern State before closing out play with a dominant 6-1 win over Metro State.
 
The split moves the Savage Storm to 3-4 overall on the season with its next official action set for March 10 against UT-Arlington and Texas-Tyler.
 
"We played two totally different matches this weekend," said head coach Brian Nelson. "We came out flat and with not much energy against a very good Midwestern State team. It showed in doubles as we lost quickly at #1 and #2 doubles. We did pick it up in singles as Guilherme Dos Santos had a 3-0 lead in the third set and Marin Jurkovic had a lead in the first set, but us coaches had agreed to clinch the match at 4 due to having a match later in the day."
 
"The next day against Metro State," he continued, "We played much better and with high intensity. We took the doubles point, and then won all but one of the singles. Manuel Pilotto had a great come from behind match, losing the first set but coming back to win 6-4 in the third against Metro. Metro State is a very solid team as well receiving votes in the last top 25 poll, so it was great for our men to get a decisive 6-1 over them."
 
SE snapped a three-match losing skid with its win over Metro State which kicked off as the 25^th-ranked doubles duo of Juan Scoppetta and Manuel Pilotto picked up a 6-3 win at two doubles which was followed by Marin Jurkovic and George Botha adding a 6-2 win at the one doubles spot to take the doubles point.
 
No. 34-ranked Scoppetta stretched that lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-3 win at the top singles position, while Guilherme Dos Santos followed suit with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the two spot.
 
Botha added a match-clinching win at number three by a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 score before No. 9 Pilotto added a 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 rally victory at number four.
 
MSC would pick up a win at number five, but Thabo Ncube's 7-5, 6-2 win at the six position would finalize the 6-1 victory.
 
In SE's matchup against No. 22 Midwestern State, the Storm fell behind early after dropping the doubles point and never properly recovered.
 
The Storm would suffer losses at the one, three, and four positions to fall 4-0.