Saint Mary's
Cal Poly Off to 2-0 Start After 6-1 Home Victory Over Saint Mary's
1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly men's tennis team is off to a 2-0 start after its 6-1 non-conference home win over Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon.
The Gaels threatened to take the doubles point early on thanks to a win on the No. 3 court, but the Mustangs rallied, as Garrett Auproux and Lucas Lesoeur edged Arthur Weber and Wil Martin 6-4, before Corey Pang and Devin Barber secured the lead by beating Thomas Hunt and James Markiewicz by the same margin.
In addition to Lesoeur's contribution, another true freshman, Axel Damiens (shown at right), made a significant impact. He moved into the No. 6 spot in the singles lineup and responded by coming from behind for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 win against Jacob Lagman.
"I can't say enough about our freshmen dealing with pressure situations," Cal Poly head coach Nick Carless said. "They're showing poise and promise on getting better each and every day."
Another highlight came on the No. 1 court, where sophomore Ben Donovan earned a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 win (to wrap up all play) over Weber, a junior ranked as one of the top 30 French players in his age group.
"Ben embraced the challenge today with a world-class opponent and really rose to the occasion," volunteer assistant Hugh Bream noted.
Earlier, Naveen Beasley had given Cal Poly a 2-0 advantage by defeating Matt Campana 6-3, 6-0, shortly before Pang made it 3-0 versus Martin, 6-4, 6-4. Auproux then put his squad up 4-1 by downing Hunt 7-6 (5), 7-5.
"Every player pushed each other from court to court with relentless positive energy and great discipline," assistant coach Mike Marquez added.
The Mustangs will next face two ranked opponents on the road: first taking on No. 69 San Diego State (2-0) at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30 before traveling across the city to face No. 32 USD (idle so far) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.
The next home dual will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 opposite 61st-ranked New Mexico.
