March 24, 2005

Los Angeles, Calif. - Loyola Marymount men's tennis used a team effort to defeat Dartmouth 5-2 Thursday at the LMU Tennis Center. After clinching the doubles point, the Lions rallied to win the four singles matches.

The Lions clinched the doubles point with 8-6 and 8-3 wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.

The match momentum changed quickly, though, as Dartmouth won the first set in five of the six singles matches. "For a while, it really didn't look good for us," LMU Head Coach Nik DeVore said. "Not only did Dartmouth win the first set of every match except for at No. 4, they really had us frustrated. I was really proud of the way our guys adapted to their opponents' games and fought back today. We had some tough match-ups, but the guys were able to adjust their games and find a way to win."

Linas Cicenas gave the Lions a boost when he won in straight sets to put the Lions up 2-1. "It always helps take some pressure off when one of your teammates gets an early victory to give you the lead," DeVore said.

Fellow sophomore Nico Terrien also stepped up for the Lions Thursday, coming back after dropping the first set to win the next two at the No. 2 spot. "It was nice to see Nico so fired up today," DeVore said. "He still isn't playing his best, but today was a big step in the right direction."

Beau Berglund and Matt Phillips also posted comebacks at No. 3 and No. 5 singles. "Beau and Matt showed a lot of guts as well," DeVore said, "coming back against players with game styles that typically give them trouble. It was a nice team effort today. The close losses we have had against nationally-ranked teams as of late helped us today. We still need to improve though, if we are going to do well at the WCC Championship."

-GO LIONS-

LMU 5, Dartmouth 2
Singles
1. Dave Webb (Dart) def. Mike Wojnarowicz (LMU) - 7-6 (0), 5-7, 7-6 (1)
2. Nico Terrien (LMU) def. Dave Waslen (Dart) - 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Beau Berglund (LMU) def. Jeff Schechtma (Dart) - 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Linas Cicenas (LMU) def. Steve McGaughey (Dart) - 6-4, 7-6 (6)
5. Matt Phillips (LMU) def. Laogan West (Dart) - 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
6. Andreas Reyes (Dart) def. Ashton Politanoff (LMU) - 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
1. Wojnarowicz/Phillips (LMU) def. Webb/Andres Reyes (Dart) - 8-6
2. Berglund/Carlos Malet (LMU) def. McGaughey/Waslen (Dart) - 8-3
3. West/Priya Sahu (Dart) def. Cicenas/Politanoff (LMU) - 8-6