Eagle Battle with No. 3 UCLA, Fall 4-0 :: Eastern Washington finishes record-breaking season with 18 wins

May 10, 2008

The Eastern Washington University men's tennis team played well in a NCAA Championship first round contest with the host No. 3 UCLA on Saturday afternoon (May 10) before falling to the Bruins 4-0.

The Eagles (18-7) had some impressive performances in the singles matches that did not finish, due to UCLA (22-1) earning its fourth and clinching team point (normal procedure for postseason competition).

On court three, Nico Riego de Dios led the second set of his match with the 40th-ranked player nationally 4-1 after falling in the first 6-4. Meanwhile, Pannhara Mam was up 4-2 in the first set over the 23rd-ranked player in the country before falling 6-4. His second-set score was 1-1 when play was stopped. Kenneth Norling was playing impressively when his match finished up at 6-3, 5-2.

Kyle Schraeder dropped a close first set in a 6-4, 6-1 loss to the No. 61 player on court two, while Art Karas lost 6-0, 6-4 on the fifth court. Daniel Pez dropped his match at 6 by 6-1, 6-2 scores.

The Eagles have now completed their best season in school history, as evidenced by its first-ever berth in the NCAA Championship. Eastern Washington set school records this year (in the NCAA Division I era) in overall wins (18), Big Sky Conference victories (7), winning percentage (.720) and winning streak (9 - from Feb. 2-March 8).

Eastern Washington vs UCLA
5/10/08 at Los Angeles, Calif.
#3 UCLA 4, Eastern Washington 0

Singles competition
1. #23 Harel Srugo (UCLA) vs. Pannhara Mam (EWU) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
2. #61 Holden Seguso (UCLA) def. Kyle Schraeder (EWU) 6-4, 6-1
3. #40 Mathieu Dehaine (UCLA) vs. Nico Riego de Dios (EWU) 6-4, 1-4, unfinished
4. Michael Look (UCLA) vs. Kenneth Norling (EWU) 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
5. Jeremy Drean (UCLA) def. Art Karas (EWU) 6-0, 6-4
6. Nick Meister (UCLA) def. Daniel Pez (EWU) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #52 Nick Meister/Harel Srugo (UCLA) def. Kyle Schraeder/Pannhara Mam (EWU) 8-2
2. Mathieu Dehaine/Holden Seguso (UCLA) vs. Jonathan Davis/Patrick Millican (EWU) 6-3, unfinished
3. Jeremy Drean/Michael Look (UCLA) def. Art Karas/Nico Riego de Dios (EWU) 8-0

Match Notes:
Eastern Washington 18-7
UCLA 22-1; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,5,2)