Men's Tennis Slips To Nebraska-Omaha, 5-2

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's tennis team fell 5-2 to Nebraska-Omaha on Friday evening at the Hanscom Tennis Center.

The Bluejays dropped their season record to 2-3, while the Mavericks improved to 4-5.

Armando Gandini and Joe Hoff each won in straight sets during singles actions for Creighton's pair of points. Gandini earned a 6-4, 6-2 win at the fifth position, while Hoff etched a 6-4, 7-5 decision at No. 6.

Jose Oscar Diaz and Matthew Lanahan combined for a 6-3 win at the No. 2 doubles position before the other two slots needed tiebreakers to be completed.

The Mavericks grabbed a 7-2 victory at the No. 1 slot and a 7-3 win at No. 3. During the top doubles match, Hoff and Stratton Brown held serve all the way to the tiebreaker but failed to break serve until the tiebreaker.

UNO won each of the top four singles position to clinch the overall match, including three-set wins at No. 2 and No. 4. The Mavericks sealed the team victory with a dramatic 10-8 tiebreaker win at the top slot.

Lanahan dropped the first set at No. 2 but battled back for a 6-4 win in the second. The Bluejay freshman fell in the deciding set, 6-3.

Shin Inoue lost in the opening set at No. 4 before cruising to a 6-1 victory in the second. During the third frame, Inoue led 4-1 but dropped five of the next seven games and lost in a tiebreaker -- 7-3.

"We had some opportunities slip away and just didn't capitalize in some spots," head coach Tom Lilly said. "It was a very good college tennis match that just went the Mavs' way this time. We need to get a little stronger in the big moments and not dwell on the negative for too long. We will continue to improve. This team has talent to win these matches, and we just need to get a little better."

The Bluejays return to the court on Sunday morning for a match against Air Force at 11 a.m. inside the Hanscom Tennis Center.

Omaha 5, Creighton 2
2/19/2021 at Omaha, NE (Hanscom Tennis Center)

Singles competition

1. Abdoul Ouattara (OMAHA) def. Stratton Brown (CU) 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)

2. Matt Hulme (OMAHA) def. Matthew Lanahan (CU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

3. Hugo Piles Ballester (OMAHA) def. Jose Oscar Diaz (CU) 6-1, 7-5

4. Davis Lawley (OMAHA) def. Shin Inoue (CU) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3)

5. Armando Gandini (CU) def. Philip Olsson (OMAHA) 6-4, 6-2

6. Joe Hoff (CU) def. Alvaro Quintana (OMAHA) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles competition

1. Matt Hulme/Abdoul Ouattara (OMAHA) def. Stratton Brown/Joe Hoff (CU) 7-6 (7-2)

2. Jose Oscar Diaz/Matthew Lanahan (CU) def. Davis Lawley/Hugo Piles Ballester (OMAHA) 6-3

3. Philip Olsson/Julian Kenzlers (OMAHA) def. Mac Mease/Shin Inoue (CU) 7-6 (7-3)

Match Notes

Omaha 4-5

Creighton 2-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,3,5,2,1,4)

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Stratton Brown

Jose Oscar Diaz

Armando Gandini

Joe Hoff

Shin Inoue

Matthew Lanahan

Mac Mease