Men's tennis starts fall season strong at Drake Invitational

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GREELEY, Colo. – At the 2010 Drake Men’s Tennis Fall Invitational, the Northern Colorado team got things started off on the right foot. The Bears had three players advance to the semifinals in singles action, while the doubles teams all battled tough.

Freshman Brandon Lupo was placed in the ‘A’ singles for his first collegiate tournament and responded with a three-set victory over Drake’s Jean Erasmus, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. He fell in straight sets to James McKie of Drake in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-3 after receiving a bye in the first round.

Freshmen Michael Moya and Jeff Carlson and sophomore Robbie Edwards were all in the ‘B’ flight of singles. Both Moya and Edwards received byes in the first round, while Carlson won in straight sets over South Dakota State’s Dominic Rossetto, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4). Carlson then advanced to the semifinals with a straight sets win against Joey MacGibbon from Gustavus Aldolphus, 6-4, 6-2. In the semifinals, he dropped a 6-3, 6-3 match against GA’s Brian Miles.

Edwards met up with Miles in the second round and the two battled for three long sets before Miles got the win, 7-5, 6-7 (x), 6-4. In the consolation rounds, Edwards won the first set 6-4 against MacGibbon, but dropped the next two sets 6-2, 10-3.

Moya also advanced to the semifinals, defeating Creighton’s Bryan Lube in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 before falling to eventual champion Kyle Obermeier from Creighton, 7-6, 6-0.

Sophomores Connor Buchanan and Ryan Lane along with junior Andre Lepine were seeded in the ‘C’ flight. In the opening round, Buchanan won a three-set thriller over GA’s Rodrigo Otero 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, but fell in three sets to Ryan Norman of Creighton, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Buchanan bounced back to win his consolation round match against Sean Mathison of Creighton, but scores were not available.

Lepine and Lane both received byes in the opening round. Lepine lost to Lorenz Laurel of Creighton 6-1, 6-1 and Lane fell by the identical score to Daniel Pomeranc from Gustavus Aldolphus. In the consolation round, the Bears met up with Lane getting the upper hand, 6-1, 6-3.

The weekend started with doubles play on Friday evening and Saturday morning. In the ‘A’ doubles bracket, Edwards and Moya were paired together, dropping an 8-0 set to Drake’s Ballivian and McKie. They won the first consolation round, 9-8 (7-5) over Rossetto and Dash from South Dakota State, before dropping an 8-3 set in the next round to GA’s Chu and Pomeranc.

Carlson and Lane won 8-5 in their opening match against O’Grady and Hadash from Drake, but fell to Mathison and Paluch from Creighton, 8-5, in the second round. In the consolation round, the duo dropped an 8-4 decision to Creighton’s Nagy and Norman.

Lepine and Lupo faced Creighton’s Lube and Obermeier in the first round, falling in a tiebreak, 9-8 (7-3). The pair then dropped an 8-2 decision to Donkena and Gyswyt  from GA.

Lepine also paired with Buchanan for one match, losing an 8-5 decision to South Dakota State’s Pyle and Thorp.

The Bears next compete Oct. 8-10 at the annual Balloon Fiesta, hosted by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.