HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Today's Islanders men's tennis match against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. has been canceled due to rain.
The No. 55 ranked men's team will now head to New Orleans for their first Southland Conference match of the season on Tuesday, March 24. Doubles play is slated for 1 p.m. at the University Tennis Center.
Last season, the Islanders recorded a perfect 6-0 mark in the Southland Conference and clinched their seventh straight Southland regular-season championship, their second straight Southland Tournament title and their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Team Championships. It marked the fifth time in the last seven years the men's team advanced to the NCAA Championships.
The Islanders (10-3) are coming off their seventh straight victory after edging No. 70 UTSA, 3-2, in a nail-biter on Thursday. After No. 73 ranked Peter Nagy clinched a 7-5 third-set victory to force doubles, the Islanders secured wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to garner the win.
This season, Nagy, the two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year holds a 10-1 mark at No. 1 singles and has won five straight, including three wins over ranked opponents. Nagy has compiled a 15-1 career record in the Southland, with his only loss in his career in conference play coming during his freshman year. Nagy was also tabbed Southland Freshman of the Year in his first year as an Islander.
In No. 2 singles this season, sophomore Kevin Bettendroffer holds a 5-4 mark while junior Ricardo Mayagoitia sits at 5-5 at No. 3 singles. On Thursday, Bettendroffer and Mayagoitia switched positions and Mayagoitia picked up his first win of the season in the No. 2 slot.
Junior Guillaume Rauseo has won five of his last six matches at No. 4 singles and sits with a 6-4 mark. Javier Pujol has won five of his last six matches and enters the match with a 6-4 record at No. 5 singles, while freshman Arthur Bedel has registered three wins at No. 6 singles for a 3-2 mark.
In doubles action, Rauseo and Bettendroffer have won five straight at No. 2 doubles for a perfect 5-0 mark, while Mayagoitia and Paul Cook have tallied a 2-2 mark at No. 3 doubles.
New Orleans enters Tuesday's match with a 6-6 mark, including a 2-0 record in the Southland. UNO topped Abilene Christian, 4-3, before defeating Nicholls, 6-1. Blake Gregor leads the team in singles play with an overall 9-2 mark, including a 9-1 record at No. 4 singles, while Romain Lefevre has collected a 6-1 mark including a 6-0 record at No. 5 singles. In doubles play, Gregor and Rui Silva have teamed up for a 7-2 overall mark at No. 2 doubles.
Last season, the Islanders wrapped the regular season against the Privateers with a 6-1 win on Senior Day. The Islanders allowed just their fifth point in Southland play and won the Southland regular-season title by a season score of 35-5. A&M - Corpus Christi secured the doubles point over UNO before winning five of the six singles matches to secure the win. The Islanders also faced the Privateers in the opening round of the Southland Tournament and cruised to a 4-0 win to advance to the finals.
Following Tuesday's match, the Islanders will travel to Rice to compete in the 57th Annual Rice Invitational on March 28-29. The Islanders will face Louisiana, Rice and George Washington over the two-day event.
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