CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – After battling to 4-3 decisions in the past two years, another thriller was expected as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UT Arlington met at Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center Monday afternoon. The two in-state foes delivered again, but this time, UT Arlington exacted a bit of revenge for the past two seasons, pulling out the 4-3 victory.
The No. 65 Islanders (6-2) jumped out to a 3-0 lead but could not hold off the hard-charging Mavericks, who swept the remaining four singles matches to steal Monday's match from the Blue and Green. Monday's showdown came down to the No. 6 match, where Arthur Bedel and Pablo Colvee battled the distance, but Colvee prevailed 6-4 in the third to clinch the victory for UT Arlington.
DOUBLES STAY HOT
The match started well enough for the Islanders, as the doubles pairings remained red-hot to open the year and won the point. The Islanders are yet to surrender a doubles point this season.
Top-billed Kevin Bettendroffer and Arthur Bedel improved to 3-1 on the season with their victory at No. 1. The duo knocked off Carlos Arbiza and Pablo Colvee, 6-2, to open the action.
Shortly after the win at No. 1, Ricardo Mayagoitia and Guillaume Rauseo wrapped up the doubles point with a 6-4 win at No. 2. The pairing continues to lead the Islanders in victories, with five on the season following Monday's match.
While they left the match unfinished, the Paul Cook and Mitchell Cook duo led 5-4 when the point was clinched.
FAST START AT TOP
The Islanders opened singles play on a tear at the top of the order as both Bettendroffer and Mayagoitia took quick first sets. Bettendroffer was the first to clinch, going 6-2, 6-4 in his victory at No. 1. Mayagoitia was not far behind as he cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 win across the stands on court No. 2.
UT ARLINGTON RALLIES BACK
The Mavericks would not fold despite the 3-0 deficit, as UT Arlington won the last four matches to snatch the victory. Arbiza started the comeback by defeating Javier Pujol at No. 4 by a score of 6-3, 6-2. Minutes later, Rauseo would fall to Mario Muniesa, 6-4, 6-2, to bring the match score to 3-2, still favoring the Islanders.
After dropping a heartbreaker of a first set in a tiebreak, Paul Cook couldn't rally at court No. 5, falling 7-6, 6-1, to level the score.
That left the match hanging in the balance of court No. 6, where Bedel had dropped the first set and trailed 4-2 in the second. The Islander would rally to force a tiebreak, then a decisive third set. But, the spectacular effort would fall short as Bedel fell 6-4 in the third.
UP NEXT
The Islanders hit the road again as the Blue and Green travel to UTSA on Wednesday. Both the men's and women's teams will be in action against the Roadrunners.
MOORE'S MIND
On a hard-fought match…
"Congratulations to UT Arlington. This match was an absolute battle, a flat-out dogfight between two very competitive and evenly matched teams. Sometimes you just have to salute the other guy in a match where both teams are so solid. Our last five matches versus UTA have been 4-3 and we've been more than fortunate against them in the past so the law of averages says they were due a close one and I congratulate them."
On moving ahead…
"We will learn from this and be better for it. There are certain things we need to get better at and we know what those are and we're committed to work hard. I love the character of this team today more than ever and I am very excited about the future of this season."
Tennis Match Results
UT Arlington vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Feb 08, 2016 at Corpus Christi, Texas
UT Arlington 4, #65 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3
Singles competition:
1. Kevin Bettendroffer (AMCC) def. Jhonathan Gonzalez (UTA) 6-2, 6-4
2. Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) def. Guanarteme Nuez (UTA) 6-1, 6-3
3. Mario Muniesa (UTA) def. Guillaume Rauseo (AMCC) 6-4, 6-2
4. Carlos Arbiza (UTA) def. Javier Pujol (AMCC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Daniel Armengol (UTA) def. Paul Cook (AMCC) 7-6, 6-1
6. Pablo Colvee (UTA) def. Arthur Bedel (AMCC) 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
Doubles competition:
1. Kevin Bettendroffer/Arthur Bedel (AMCC) def. Carlos Arbiza/Pablo Colvee (UTA) 6-2
2. Guillaume Rauseo/Ricardo Mayagoitia (AMCC) def. Daniel Armengol/Jhonathan Gonzalez (UTA) 6-4
3. Mitchell Cook/Paul Cook (AMCC) vs. Mario Muniesa/Guanarteme Nuez (UTA) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
UT Arlington 5-3
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 6-2; National ranking #65
