SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The University of Portland men’s tennis team dropped its final match of the 2010-11 season in a 4-2 loss to Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference Championships on Saturday at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif. 

The Pilots pushed the Lions early by securing the doubles point beginning with an 8-2 win at No. 1 by Alex Ferrero and Ratan Gill. The point was secured at No. 3 when Nick Wales and Geoff Hernandez battled to a 9-7 win despite being down 6-1 early.

“We wrestled the doubles point away with just sheer grit from Hernandez and Wales (playing in his final college match),” said Portland head coach Aaron Gross. “They were down 6-1 in the deciding match and ended up coming from behind to win 9-7 in an amazing effort.”

Portland was unable to top the fresh legs of LMU in singles, as the Lions had Friday off and the Pilots had a four-hour battle with Gonzaga,

The Pilots picked up one singles victory at No. 4 as Michel Hu Kwo won in straight sets over LMU’s Alex Wilton.

“Hu Kwo finished his amazing season with a hard fought win,” Gross said. “Alex Ferrero was up 4-2 in the third set and I am very confident he would have won, but a couple of guys who had really emotional wins the day before against Gonzaga just couldn’t sustain till the end to get us that one more point.”

The Pilots end the 2010-11 season with a 13-9 overall record.

Loyola Marymount 4

Portland 2
April 23, 2011
Barnes Tennis Center
San Diego, Calif.

Doubles –
1: Alex Ferrero/Ratan Gill (UP) def. Sebastian Bustamani/Alex Wilton (LMU) 8-2
2: Nicholas Bjerke/Aris Andreasian (LMU) def. Michel Hu Kwo/Justin Guay (UP) 8-3
3: Nick Wales/Geoff Hernandez (UP) def. Daniel Simko/Tom Price (LMU) 9-7

Singles –
1: Andreasian (LMU) v. Ferrero (UP) 6-3, 3-6 dnf
2: Bjerke (LMU) def. Hernandez (UP) 6-2, 6-3
3: Bustamanti (LMU) def. Bryan Thorp (UP) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4: Hu Kwo (UP) def. Wilton (LMU) 6-3, 7-6(5)
5: Price (LMU) def. Gill (UP) 6-3, 6-3
6: Simko (LMU) def. Guay (UP) 7-5, 6-2