Fresno State
No. 71 Mustangs Down Fresno State 4-0, Clinch Third at Pacific Invitational
3/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
STOCKTON, Calif. – The 71st-ranked Cal Poly men's tennis team put the finishing touches on its appearance at the Pacific Mountain Invitational on Sunday afternoon with a 4-0 victory over Fresno State in the third-place match at Brookside Country Club.
Cal Poly (7-4) seized the momentum by snatching the doubles point when senior Devin Barber and sophomore Garrett Auproux ousted Euan McIntosh and Adam Glynn 6-2 at the No. 1 position.
The sophomore tandem of Ben Donovan and Corey Pang – who won all three of their doubles matches over the weekend – beat Joshua Zeoli and Youssef Hassan 6-2, which clinched the doubles point for the Mustangs. Donovan and Pang have won five doubles matches in a row after their latest victory and are impressing head coach Nick Carless.
"I think we're finding some combinations in doubles that have good chemistry who complement each other's styles well," Carless said. "That point is most evident with our No. 2 team of Ben and Corey."
Donovan dispatched Hassan at No. 1 singles with a straight-set (6-0, 6-2) victory, as he improved to 12-7 overall and 7-3 in the No. 1 spot. Auproux would then give Cal Poly a 3-0 advantage with a two-set victory of his own, 6-3, 6-2 over Eric Komati at No. 2 singles.
Freshman Axel Damiens – who provided the match-clinching point for the second time during the last four victories – won his third successive singles match (7-5, 7-5) with a win over Alexandros Georgios Vakouftsis.
"Axel's victory this afternoon proved how promising a future he has," Carless mentioned. "Those are really tough situations to be in and he's proving how talented he is."
Pang – after dropping the first set, 4-6 at No. 3 singles – battled back with a 6-3 win to force a third and final set, but the match was suspended with Cal Poly already leading 4-0.
This afternoon's matchup was a rematch of a battle from earlier this season, when Cal Poly beat Fresno State 4-3 in San Luis Obispo. The Mustangs won two of three matches over the weekend, including a 4-0 win over Grand Canyon on Friday.
Cal Poly is making adjustments from the beginning of the season, and according to assistant coach Mike Marquez, the victory over Fresno State proved it.
"Our volleys are so much better from where they were at," Marquez said. "We played extremely aggressive in singles and really brought the match to Fresno State today."
After Sunday's third-place finish in Stockton, the Mustangs head back home to prepare for a match at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 against Florida Gulf Coast.
"Our team is learning from each match and improving every day," Carless added. "We have a quick turnaround after traveling home tonight and we'll get right back to work on Tuesday."
