INDIANAPOLIS – Facing off against the No. 4-ranked player in the country in Takashi Taco,
Louis Picaud returned a backhand, which Taco laid right into the net and with his hands raised and his teammates cheering, Picaud secured not only the singles upset, but the massive victory over No. 1 Valdosta State for the University of Indianapolis men's tennis team.
The Greyhounds, with victory over the No. 2-seeded Blazers, grabbed fifth place at this years ITA DII National Men's Team Indoor Championship, securing wins over both the No. 8-ranked Wayne State Warriors and the No. 1-ranked Valdosta State Blazers, moving to 5-1 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Blazers took doubles, the Hounds went to work in singles.
Manuel Lanteri, the freshman from Argentina, was the first to claim victory, winning 6-3, 6-4, evening the score. But, just second later, the Blazers snagged the lead again, scoring a straight-sets win at No. 4 singles.
That was the last taste of victory for the Blazers, as
Tom Zeuch continued his absolute tear on the singles competition, winning 6-3, 6-3 to even it back up 2-2.
From there, it was tight as possible, with both
David Simeonov and Picaud in a second set tiebreak. With teammates running from court to court to cheer on their teammates, Simeonov was the first to win, taking his match in the second set with a 7-4 tiebreaker. Picaud's victory came just seconds later, as the Hounds upset the Valdosta State Blazers.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will be on the road next, but their trials do not slow down, as they will take the road north to Detroit, Mich. for yet another test as the Wayne State Warriors on March 3, with doubles set to kick off at 5 p.m.
Through the Hounds seven matches, they have already faced off with the Warriors twice, securing two 4-1 victories.
