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Adam Dockery
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The Rattlers play their first league game Friday against UTPB. (File Photo)

Men's Tennis RattlerAthletics.com

Men's Tennis nearly downs D-I UIW in tight contest

By Ruben Dominguez | St. Mary's Athletics Communications 

SAN ANTONIO –– The Rattler Men's Tennis team and Incarnate Word, two schools very close in distance, played to an even closer score line as the latter came out victorious, 5-4, Saturday afternoon.

As the home team in the affair, St. Mary's looked to use the advantage to put up a solid fight against their NCAA Division I neighbors. The regulation of scoring followed the Division II rules where all the doubles scores accounted to the overall total.

The three doubles matches started off the encounter as both teams looked to take the edge going into singles play.

Michael Maciel (So., Sugar Land, Texas) and Adam Dockery (So., Wichita Falls, Texas) set the pace for the Rattlers at the No. 1 spot as they defeated Ivic and Rodriguez 8-5 to put the Rattlers up 1-0.

Matt Banner (Jr., Mason, Texas) and Brien Galon (Jr., San Antonio) did not fare as well as their teammates and surrendered a loss at the No. 2 slot, 8-4  to Smoljan and Hoverson.

It was then up to St. Mary's No. 3 team of Berto Rodriguez (So., San Francisco, Panama) and Aldo Maldonado (Fr., Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico) to give their team the upper hand, but they fell just short losing a close one to UIW's brothers pairing of Tucker and Turner Brown.

As the Rattlers now stared at 1-2 deficit heading into singles, they looked for a way to regain the lead from the Cardinals.

Rodriguez dropped his match at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-0 to UIW's Vatanadilok, but Maldonado and Luke Keller (Jr., San Antonio) came out winners in their respective matches.

Maldonaldo won over Tucker Brown 6-1, 6-2 at No.3 and Keller at No. 5 won 6-1, 6-1 over Hoverson to level things up at three apiece.

The close encounter forged on as UIW's Ivic got the better of St. Mary's No.1 Maciel, 6-1, 6-4.

Galon brought the affair down to the final match on court as he defeated the Cardinals' Rodriguez 6-0, 7-5 to level up the contest.

It was up to Dockery in the final match on court to see out the victory out for the Rattlers but it proved not to be his day as the ever-so solid Smoljan gave the No. 2 a hard-fought battle, coming out the winner with a 6-3, 6-4 score.

Coach Lisa Dausin's team now goes to 1-1 overall, as the defeat was the first on the season.

They will look to bounce back from this setback when they face Texas-Permian Basin at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Mary's Rohrbach Stadium.


 
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Players Mentioned

Matt Banner

Matt Banner

5' 11"
Junior
Brien Galon

Brien Galon

5' 8"
Junior
Luke Keller

Luke Keller

5' 10"
Junior
Michael Maciel

Michael Maciel

5' 7"
Sophomore
Adam Dockery

Adam Dockery

5' 8"
Sophomore
Aldo Maldonado

Aldo Maldonado

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matt Banner

Matt Banner

5' 11"
Junior
Brien Galon

Brien Galon

5' 8"
Junior
Luke Keller

Luke Keller

5' 10"
Junior
Michael Maciel

Michael Maciel

5' 7"
Sophomore
Adam Dockery

Adam Dockery

5' 8"
Sophomore
Aldo Maldonado

Aldo Maldonado

Freshman

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