ARLINGTON, Texas - The University of Texas Permian Basin men's tennis team's run in the Lone Star Conference Championships came to an end on Friday in the semifinals in a marathon match against No. 22 UT Tyler. After four-plus hours of back-and-forth tennis, the Falcons fell 4-3.
 
"The guys fought hard today but it just wasn't our day," said head coach Alex Hunt. "Credit to UT Tyler for taking the win today. They played better in the big moments. We now await our regional round opponent and location. We still have lots to look forward to. Big goals ahead!"
 
The Falcons wasted no time in a 6-0 win on court three thanks to Lucas Nitzschke and Takumi Katsuda. The lead didn't last long as the Patriots won on court two to leave the point up to court one. There the Patriots won in a tiebreaker for the 1-0 lead.
 
Singles wins by Vitaliy Horovoy, 6-0, 6-4, and Jonathan Vega, 6-3, 6-4, put the Falcons up 2-1. The Patriots won in straight sets on court two, setting up a best two-of-three on the last three courts. UT Tyler won on court four, while Jonas Krahofer came away with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win on five to even the score again. On court six, the Patriots won in three sets to claim the match and advance to the LSC finals.
 
UT Tyler 4, UTPB 3
 
Singles Competition
1. Horovoy (UTPB) def. Bianchi (UTT), 6-0, 6-4
2. Shestakov (UTT) def. Katsuda (UTPB), 6-4, 6-3
3. Vega (UTPB) def. Wessel (UTT), 6-3, 6-4
4. Felker (UTT) def. Rudnicki (UTPB), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
5. Krahofer (UTPB) def. Garcia (UTT), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Watanabe (UTT) def. Nitzschke (UTPB), 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 2-6
 
Doubles Competition
1. Felker/Shestakov (UTT) def. Rudnicki/Krahofer (UTPB), 7-6 (9-7)
2. Bianchi/Wessel (UTT) def. Horovoy/Vega (UTPB), 6-4
3. Katsuda/Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Japelj/Garcia (UTT), 6-0