ODESSA, Texas (March 29, 2025) – The UT Permian Basin men's tennis team picked up a key 5-2 win over No. 15 nationally-ranked Midwestern State University on Saturday at the Ratliff Stadium Complex Tennis Courts. It was the first regular-season win in program history over the Mustangs, and it was payback against a MSU team that handed the Falcons their only Lone Star Conference loss of the season last year.

UTPB swept doubles for the second LSC match in a row as Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez and Lucas Nitzschke defeated Juan David Duque and Killian Guillou 6-2 at No. 3 doubles and Florian Kralik and Grzegorz Rudnicki defeated Bruno Sanchez and Justin Van Amerongen 6-4 at No. 2 doubles. In the final doubles match, Jonathan Vega and Jonas Krahofer defeated the No. 19 nationally-ranked doubles pair of Stephen Slocombe and Filip Vacula, 6-3, at No. 1 doubles.

Vega defeated Vacula (No. 11 nationally-ranked) 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles to give UTPB a 2-1 lead, and then a 7-5, 6-3 win by Nitzschke over Van Amerongen at No. 6 singles made it a 3-1 lead.

The clincher came two matches later as Gonzalez Ibanez pulled out a three-set victory, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, over Philip Kamara at No. 4 singles.

Krahofer added a comeback win over Jose Marquez in a third-set super tiebreaker, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-8), at No. 5 singles.
 
Results:
Doubles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega/Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. No. 19 Stephen Slocombe/Filip Vacula (MSU) 6-3
• #2 – Florian Kralik/Grzegorz Rudnicki (UTPB) def. Bruno Sanchez/Justin Van Amerongen (MSU) 6-4
• #3 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez/Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Juan David Duque/Killian Guillou (MSU) 6-2

Singles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega (UTPB) def. No. 11 Filip Vacula (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
• #2 – No. 32 Bruno Sanchez (MSU def. Lucas Nakasato (UTPB) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
• #3 – Stephen Slocombe (MSU) def. Grzegorz Rudnicki (UTPB) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
• #4 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez (UTPB) def. Philip Kamara (MSU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
• #5 – Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Jose Marquez (MSU) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-8)
• #6 – Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Justin Van Amerongen (MSU) 7-5, 6-3

Team Records:

• UTPB improves to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in the LSC while No. 15 Midwestern State falls to 9-4 and 1-2.
• Last year, UTPB fell 4-3 against No. 23 Midwestern State during the regular season, snapping a six-match winning streak and handing the Falcons their only conference loss of the season. However, UTPB bounced back in the NCAA South Central Region Tournament and defeated the No. 18 Mustangs 4-3 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. In both of those matches last year, four of the six singles matches went to a third set, but today, UTPB finished 2-1 in three-set matches.
• Midwestern State is now 13-2 all-time against UTPB.

 
Next Up: The Falcons are off for a week before returning for their first LSC road match of the season against No. 5 Lubbock Christian University on Friday, April 4, in Lubbock, Texas (starting at 2 p.m.).