ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – In the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA DII men's tennis championship, the No. 17 University of Indianapolis men's tennis team were edged out by No. 1 Valdosta State University 4-1.
It was the rematch of the fifth place match of the 2024 ITA DII Indoor Team Championship, where the Greyhounds downed the top-ranked Blazers 4-2. The win was the last time Valdosta conceded a match. In today's matchup, UIndy forced three singles matches to third sets, but couldn't outpace VSU.
INS AND OUTS
After a prolonged fight in doubles action, the Blazers pulled through in a crucial tiebreak in #1 doubles to take a 1-0 lead.
The #2 doubles duo of Tadeo Gaggiofatto and Asier Ayllon Prado traded breaks with the No. 8 ranked team of Edgar Destouet and Arthur Bord, but eventually fell 6-4.
Manu Lanteri and Lorenzo Di Cursi had a hard fought battle on court #3 with Jan Skerbatis and Boruch Skierkier, with the match going to a tiebreak. The Hounds found a pivotal service break in the midst of the break, and won 7-3 in the breaker.
It all came down to David Simeonov and Matthieu Derache on court #1, who were in a dogfight with the No. 5 ranked tandem of Takeshi Taco Xaveam Van Wijk. After entering a tiebreak, the Blazer's top duo narrowly prevailed, winning 8-6 in the breaker.
In singles, the Blazers were able to jump to a 2-0 advantage after Simeonov fell 6-1, 6-4 to Taco, the No. 2 singles player in the nation.
VSU grew their lead to 3-0 after Julien Doitteau took down Di Cursi 6-2, 6-2 in #6 singles.
The Hounds needed an answer, and found it with Gaggiofatto, who out-mustered Skerbatis 7-1 in a first-set tiebreak, then dished out a breadstick in the second, winning 6-1 to put UIndy on the board.
The remaining singles matches were all lung-busting battles, as Ayllon Prado, Derache, and Lanteri all forced third sets.
Lanteri came up short in a tiebreak to Destouet on court #3, falling 7-2. To answer the call, Lanteri posted a 6-4 win in the second set to force a third set.
Ayllon Prado took the first set 6-3 from Skierkier on court #4, but the No. 3 singles player in the nation responded in the second with a 6-3 win.
Derache was edged out in the first set by Jerome Iaconi 6-4, but punched back in the second, winning 6-3.
After a hard push and a late-set break, Lanteri ran out of gas, falling 6-2. As the match finished, Ayllon Prado was knotted up with Skierkier at 4-4 in the third, while Derache was on serve with the match abandoned at 1-1.
"I'm very proud of the heart all of you showed today." Head coach Malik Tabet said to his team after the match. "They were a very good team and you made them work for every point. You all should be proud of yourself for your fight today, and be proud of your successful season.
The Greyhounds end the 2025 campaign with a 22-4 record, with ten total ranked wins on the season. Before the loss today, UIndy held an 18-match win streak lasting from Feb. 16.
