MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- Joaquin Perez (Pachuca, Mexico/Escuela Americana) and
Neal Devkaran (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic) were straight set winners at No. 3 and No. 6 singles as the Kutztown University men's tennis team fell in PSAC play for the first time this season, 5-2, at Millersville Saturday afternoon.
The victories by Devkaran and Perez actually helped the Golden Bears pull even at 2-2 early in singles play before the Marauders pulled out the final three flights in a match that could have gone either way.
Millersville got an early lift by sweeping doubles to take a 1-0 lead to singles. KU's best chance to steal a win came at No. 2 where
Dang Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and
Henrique Rocha (Jaticua, Brazil/Escola SEB Maceio) dropped a 6-4 decision to Lino Morin and Sebas Castro.
Dylan Tull held off
Gonzalo Barcelo (San Pedro, Argentina/Nuestra Senora del Socorro) in a close first set at first singles before extending the Marauders' lead to 2-0 with a 7-5, 6-0 win.
Devkaran improved to 4-1 on the season with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory over Sandor Wulf at sixth singles to get Kutztown (3-5, 1-1 PSAC) on the board. Perez followed with his fourth win of the year, holding off Morin in a second-set tiebreaker to pick up a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win.
Millersville, which reached the PSAC semifinals last year, went back in front for good with Jasper de Koning's 6-4, 6-3 win over Rocha at No. 5 singles though the final two flights had a fair bit of drama.
No. 2 Nguyen and No. 4
Emmitt Robinson (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute) each rallied from a set down to force a third set before their Marauder counterparts prevailed.
Nguyen fell to Zach Pernia 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, while Robinson was bested by Valentin Ebner 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Kutztown is scheduled to be on the road for a pair of non-conference matches against Division III Goucher, Wednesday, April 10, and Division II District of Columbia, Saturday, April 13, before returning to PSAC play at home against Bloomsburg on Tuesday, April 16.
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