GRIFFITH, Ind. - With wins over St. Joseph's College (Ind.) and Purdue University Northwest over the weekend, Lake Superior State men's tennis improved to 3-3 overall on the season. The pair of wins begins eight-day road trip during spring break that will see theLakers play six matches overall.
LSSU 8 - SJC 1 (Saturday, Feb. 25)
At St. Joseph's on Saturday, the Lakers earned an 8-1 decision over the Pumas (0-4) after picking up two wins in the three doubles matches and sweeping the singles portion. In No. 1 doubles play, Jake Prime and Luis Valderrama won 8-2 over Llya Kalabuukhau and Nicolas Palacio before Joseph Gilman and Ieuan Lister claimed an 8-1 victory against Vincente Herrera and Derek Wappel in the second doubles match.
Prime opened a sweep of singles for LSSU, playing in the No. 1 slot against Palacio. After winning the first set 6-3, Palacio responded with a 6-1 victory to force a third set. A marathon of a deciding set saw Prime capture a 13-11 victory to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the match.
LSSU finished off the rest of the singles portion with straight-set victories. Valderrama scored a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory over Kalabuukhau in No. 2 singles, followed by Gilman' 6-2, 6-3 victory in No. 3 singles to improve his singles record to 5-0 in his freshman campaign.
In No. 4 singles, Lister captured a 6-3, 6-1 win over Lucas Jessen. The Lakers closed out the team victory with straight-set wins from Mateus Souza Fonai in the fifth singles match and Peter Summers capturing No. 6 singles, 6-4, 6-1 over Juan Montenegro.
Lake Superior State University vs Saint Joseph's (IN) (Feb 25, 2017)
Lake Superior State University 8, Saint Joseph's (IN) 1
Feb 25, 2017 at RENSSELAER, IN (Hanson REC Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Jake Prime (LSMT) def. Nicolas Palacio (SJC) 6-3, 1-6, 13-11 |
| 2. Luis Valderrama (LSMT) def. Llya Kalabuukhau (SJC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) |
| 3. Joseph Gilman (LSMT) def. Derek Wappel (SJC) 6-2, 6-3 |
| 4. Ieuan Lister (LSMT) def. Lucas Jessen (SJC) 6-3, 6-1 |
| 5. Mateus Souza Fonai (LSMT) def. Joe Comerford (SJC) 6-3, 6-2 |
| 6. Peter Summers (LSMT) def. Juan Montenegro (SJC) 6-4, 6-1 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Jake Prime/Luis Valderrama (LSMT) def. Llya Kalabuukhau/Nicolas Palacio (SJC) 8-2 |
| 2. Joseph Gilman/Ieuan Lister (LSMT) def. Vicente Herrera/Derek Wappel (SJC) 8-1 |
| 3. Joe Comerford/Lucas Jessen (SJC) def. Miles Munro/Stephen Prica (LSMT) 8-6 |
LSSU 6 - PNW 3 (Sunday, Feb. 26)
On Sunday, against Purdue Northwest, the Lakers again took two-of-three matches with the pairings of Prime and Valderrama opening the match with an 8-4 win over Moritz Gisy and Mauricio Villacres. Gilman and Prime took care of No. 2 doubles with an 8-6 decision over Diego Pimentel and Ulf Grosseloh.
After Prime fell 7-5, 6-3 in No. 1 singles to tie the team match at 2-2, Valderrama, Gilman and Lister tacked on straight-set wins in the second, third and fourth singles spots to give the Lakers the 5-2 lead and ensure the victory. Gilman's 6-4, 6-1 victory over Villacres in No. 3 singles improved his singles record to 6-0 on the year.
LSSU closed out the match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory by Summers in No. 6 singles, defeating Patrick Mudd.
The Lakers resume the road trip on Monday, at Calumet College before traveling to face Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Lewis University on Wednesday. LSSU closes the week with a pair of matches against Carroll University and Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, Wis., on Saturday.
Lake Superior State University vs Purdue University Northwest (02/26/2017)
Lake Superior State University 6, Purdue University Northwest 3
02/26/2017 at Griffith, Ind. (Matchpoint Fitness and Tennis Club)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Gisy, Moritz (PNW) def. Jake Prime (LSMT) 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2. Luis Valderrama (LSMT) def. Grosseloh, Ulf (PNW) 6-2, 6-4 |
| 3. Joseph Gilman (LSMT) def. Villacres, Mauricio (PNW) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 4. Ieuan Lister (LSMT) def. Pimentel, Diego (PNW) 6-4, 6-1 |
| 5. Passett, Jonluke (PNW) def. Mateus Souza Fonai (LSMT) 7-5, 4-1 |
| 6. Peter Summers (LSMT) def. Mudd, Patrick (PNW) 6-0, 6-1 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Jake Prime/Luis Valderrama (LSMT) def. Gisy, Moritz/Villacres, Mauricio (PNW) 8-4 |
| 2. Joseph Gilman/Ieuan Lister (LSMT) def. Pimentel, Diego/Grosseloh, Ulf (PNW) 8-6 |
| 3. Passett, Jonluke/Mudd, Patrick (PNW) def. Stephen Prica/Miles Munro (LSMT) 8-2 |
| Match Notes |
| Lake Superior State University 2-4 |
| Purdue University Northwest 6-1 |