Braves Stopped at Home by UTRGV

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley grabbed a 4-0 win from Alcorn on Saturday morning in a non-conference men's tennis match taking place at Halls Ferry Tennis Courts in Vicksburg, Mississippi. For the Braves, the loss is the eighth on the bounce.
 
Alcorn (3-10) showed signs of fight before the match was decided.
 
Braves interim head coach Kersten Vanem-Walker addressed the result following the match.
 
"The scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story of what we're doing out here," said Vanem-Walker immediately afterwards. "Every time we step on the court, I see improvement from these guys. The effort, the execution, the competitiveness. It's trending in the right direction even when the wins aren't showing up yet."
 
UTRGV (3-11) wasted little time establishing control, claiming the doubles point by winning two of three doubles matches.
 
The Vaqueros fielded Sam Whitehead and Ivo Isqueiro in the No. 1 doubles position, as they opened the day with a 6-2 victory over Alcorn's team of Matthew Holl and Vicent Llobell Buigues. Paolo Bonaguro and Tsz Him Chan of UTRGV closed out the doubles point with a 6-3 win over the Braves tandem of Tomas Grime and Jorge Prats Navarrete at the third position.
 
In singles play, UTRGV's Paolo Bonaguro was dominant at the sixth position, dropping just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win over Jeremiah Jones. Will Roberts followed for the visitors with a 6-2, 6-0 dismissal of Grime on court four. Ivo Isqueiro rounded out the completed singles matches with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Alcorn's Matthew Holl at the No. 3 position.
 
Three additional singles matches were left unfinished once the outcome was decided.
 
Vanem-Walker remains focused on the road ahead for her Purple and Gold men's squad.
 
"We're not going to dwell on this one," said the Estonia native. "We'll get back to work, get ready for the next match and keep pushing forward. That's all you can do. This program is moving in the right direction, and I want the guys to start seeing it as well. I want them to really see the improvements being made in every match."
 
Alcorn travels to Alabama for its next match against the Crimson Tide on Sunday, March 1, at 5 p.m., in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
 
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COMPLETE RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. Sebastian Griffiths (ALC) vs. Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 6-7 (5-7), 0-1, unfinished
2. Vicent Llobell Buigues (ALC) vs. Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) 1-6, 4-4, unfinished
3. Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) def. Matthew Holl (ALC) 6-2, 6-2
4. Will Roberts (UTRGV) def. Tomas Grime (ALC) 6-2, 6-0
5. Jorge Prats Navarrete (ALC) vs. Tsz Him Chan (UTRGV) 2-6, 2-2, unfinished
6. Paolo Bonaguro (UTRGV) def. Jeremiah Jones (ALC) 6-0, 6-1
 
Doubles Competition
1. Sam Whitehead/Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) def. Matthew Holl/Vicent Llobell Buigues (ALC) 6-2
2. Fabian Juarez/Sebastian Griffiths (ALC) vs. Santiago Serrano/Loic Young Kriegel (UTRGV) 5-6, unfinished
3. Paolo Bonaguro/Tsz Him Chan (UTRGV) def. Tomas Grime/Jorge Prats Navarrete (ALC) 6-3