COLLEGE STATION — No. 74 UTSA nearly completed a rally from a 3-0 deficit in a 4-3 setback to No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Roadrunners found themselves in a 3-0 hole after doubles play and the first two singles matches that finished. UTSA (12-7) made up ground by sending the match to a decisive point at No. 2 singles, where the Aggies (14-3) held on with a three-set victory.
The match started with the doubles point coming down to the wire.
Texas A&M struck first with a 6-3 win by Max Lunkin and Shane Vinsant against Jake Rother and Joel Rubio at the third spot.
UTSA’s top tandem of Tito Moreiras — a sophomore transfer playing against his former school — and Tomas Stillman responded with a 6-3 upset of the Aggies’ No. 32-ranked duo of Jeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo at No. 1.
With all eyes on the second court, Diogo Casa and Yannick Junger rallied from a 6-5 deficit to force a tiebreaker. However, AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech outlasted the Roadrunners pair with an 8-6 decision in the tiebreak for a 7-6 victory and the first point of the match.
In singles, Texas A&M scored wins at No. 3 when Rinderknech ended Moreiras’ 11-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph and at No. 4, where Jordi Arconada downed Rubio, 6-4, 6-4, to race out to a 3-0 lead.
Casa picked up a point for the visitors at No. 6 when he took care of Frankie Colunga, 6-3, 6-2. Joao Riquelme then made it a one-point contest when he dispatched Szabo, 6-1, 7-5, on the fifth court.
The final two singles matches both went to a third set.
Stillman, ranked 82nd by the ITA, battled back from a 6-0 setback to No. 59 Efferding in the opening set for a 6-4 win in set two on center court. The senior from Harlingen completed the comeback with a 6-2 victory in the third for his 14th win in his last 15 outings.
The decisive point came down to No. 2 where Yannick Junger rallied from a 6-2 loss in the first frame for a 6-3 victory to force a third set against No. 79 Catanzariti. The senior from Germany fell by a 6-3 count in the final panel, as the Aggies held on for the win.
The Roadrunners will travel to Edinburg to face Texas-Pan American (6-10) at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3.
#9 Texas A&M 4, #74 UTSA 3
Doubles
1. Moreiras/Stillman (UTSA) def. #32 Efferding/Szabo (TAMU) 6-3
2. Catanzariti/Rinderknech (TAMU) def. Casa/Junger (UTSA) 7-6 (8-6)
3. Lunkin/Vinsant (TAMU) def. Rother/Rubio (UTSA) 6-3
Singles
1. #82 Tomas Stillman (UTSA) def. #59 Jeremy Efferding (TAMU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. #79 AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) def. Yannick Junger (UTSA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
3. Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. Tito Moreiras (UTSA) 6-3, 6-2
4. Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. Joel Rubio (UTSA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Joao Riquelme (UTSA) def. Jordan Szabo (TAMU) 6-1, 7-5
6. Diogo Casa (UTSA) def. Frankie Colunga (TAMU) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles: (3,1,2); Singles (3,4,6,5,1,2)