GOLD RIVER, Calif. – The No. 73 UC Davis Aggies outlasted the Portland Pilots by a 4-3 margin in a competitive championship match in the Golden State Invitational Sunday afternoon at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center. The Aggies (13-3) picked up their ninth straight victory, while the Pilots (9-5) had their four-match win streak snapped.
The match came down to No. 5 singles as Tommy Lam come from behind in the third set to clinch the match for the Aggies.
"I'm afraid that's going to be one of those matches that where we wish we had a do-over," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "Really good competitive tennis matches usually come down to who plays the big points best and UC Davis just played those points a little bit better than us today. I'd like to say we should have won, and at moments I thought we were going to win, but they just had that little bit extra at the finish line."
After Portland claimed the doubles point with wins at the top two positions, the singles matches turned into a marathon with five of the six matchups going three sets. The Aggies took the 3-1 lead with wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 positions, all in three sets.
Portland sophomore Michail Pervolarakis then picked up another huge win at No. 1 singles with a 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 victory over No. 9 Alec Adamson. Pervolarakis is now 2-0 this season against nationally ranked players and ran his win streak to five straight.
Pilot freshman Carlos Donat then won in straight sets at the No. 6 position to tie the match at 3-3. Donat improved to 9-1 in dual singles and has won eight in row.
The match came down to Lam versus Portland freshman Felix Fan at the No. 5 spot. After Lam took the first set 6-4, Fan responded with a 6-0 second set win, but Lam went ahead 2-0 in the third. Portland's freshman rattled off four straight games to take a 4-2 lead, but Lam was able to pull out the 6-4 win to remain undefeated with a 9-0 dual singles record this spring.
"The day wasn't without some highlights," Gross noted. "We played terrific doubles. Mike and Mathieu ended up having a win over a very good doubles team and then Mike played a gritty singles match winning in three sets over a nationally ranked player. Losing four of the five three-set singles matches we had today is what we have to deal with going home. These situations are always great opportunities for learning and I know we will get a lot out of it, but right now it's disappointing to let that opportunity get away."
Portland will get a well-deserved break before returning to West Coast Conference action on Saturday, March 26 at league-favorite San Diego at 11 a.m. The Pilots will then face Marquette in San Diego on Sunday, March 27.
#73 UC Davis 4, Portland 3
Gold River, Calif. (Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center)
March 13, 2016
Singles1. Michail Pervolavakis (POR) def. #90 Alec Adamson (UCD) 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
2. James Wade (UCD) def. Mathieu Garcia (POR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Brett Bacharach (UCD) def. Pierre Garcia (POR) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
4. Bryce McKelvie (UCD) def. Alex Wallace (POR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Tommy Lam (UCD) def. Felix Fan (POR) 6-4 0-6, 6-4
6. Carlos Donat (POR) def. Eli Whittle (UCD) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles1. Pervolavakis/M. Garcia (POR) def. Adamson/Adam Levie (UCD) 6-2
2. Kent Andreasen/Wallace (POR) def. Bacharach/Whittle (UCD) 7-6
3. McKelvie/Lam (UCD) vs. Fan/P. Garcia (POR) 5-6, unfinished
Order of finish: Singles (4, 3, 2, 1, 6, 5), Doubles (1, 2)
