DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NAIA No. 2 Embry-Riddle men's tennis suffered a tough loss to Lynn on Saturday, falling 5-4 to the NCAA II ninth-ranked Fighting Knights in a five-hour contest at Embry-Riddle's Crotty Tennis Complex. The Eagles move to 8-3 on the year, while Lynn improves to 10-2 overall.
 
Lynn got the first point of the day at the third flight doubles as Alessio Iannozzi and Paolo Volpicelli held off Miguel Lopez Gomez and Rodolfo Arreygue 8-5. The match at No. 2 doubles saw the Eagles' Carlos Becke and Fabian Zierlyn fall behind Fernando Rivas and Daniel Riggs, but the ERAU duo rebounded for an 8-5 win to knot the team score at 1-1.

At No. 1 doubles, second-ranked Deni Zmak and Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios led 7-4, but the Lynn team of Mehdi Laalej and Pavel Mojha scored three unanswered points and each side then held served to force a tiebreaker. Laalej and Mojha led 4-2 in the tiebreaker, but the Eagles stormed back to earn a 9-8 (7-5) win to give ERAU a 2-1 edge heading into singles.
 
Playing on courts one and two, respectively, Zmak and Sanchez-Canamares finished their singles matches within seconds of each other. Ranked No. 17 in the NAIA, Sanchez-Canamares earned a hard-fought 7-5 win in the first set before cruising to a 6-0 defeat against Rivas in the second. Moments later, top-ranked Zmak bested Riggs 6-4, 6-1 to put the Blue and Gold up 4-2.
 
While the top of the lineup came through for the Eagles, it was the bottom of the lineup that produced for the Fighting Knights. Laalej got Lynn's second point of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Zierlyn on court four. Mojha followed with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Becke at the third position, and Iannozzi pulled the Fighting Knights level by holding off Arreygue 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) at the fifth spot.
 
With the match deadlocked at 4-4, all the attention turned to the sixth court where Lopez Gomez went up against Volpicelli. The Lynn senior took the first set 6-1, but Lopez Gomez rallied to take the second 6-4 and force a third set to decide the match. Both players held serve until the final game of the set when Volpicelli registered a break to win 6-4 and score the clinching point.
 
The Eagles return to conference play at 10 a.m. on Monday when they host Warner at the Crotty Tennis Complex.
 
 
Lynn 5, #2 Embry-Riddle 4
 
 Singles competition
1. #1 Deni Zmak (ERAUMT14) def. #23 Daniel Riggs (LU) 6-4, 6-1
2. #17 Jaime Sanchez-Canama (ERAUMT14) def. Fernando Rivas (LU) 7-5, 6-0
3. Pavel Mojha (LU) def. #45 Carlos Becke (ERAUMT14) 6-3, 6-3
4. Mehdi Laalej (LU) def. Fabian Zierleyn (ERAUMT14) 6-1, 6-2
5. Alessio Iannozzi (LU) def. Rodolfo Arreygue (ERAUMT14) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
6. Paolo Volpicelli (LU) def. Miguel Lopez Gomez (ERAUMT14) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
 
 Doubles competition
1. #2 Deni Zmak/Jaime Sanchez-Canama (ERAUMT14) def. Mehdi Laalej/Pavel Mojha (LU) 9-8 (7-5)
2. Carlos Becke/Fabian Zierleyn (ERAUMT14) def. Fernando Rivas/Daniel Riggs (LU) 8-5
3. Alessio Iannozzi/Paolo Volpicelli (LU) def. Miguel Lopez Gomez/Rodolfo Arreygue (ERAUMT14) 8-5
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,1,4,3,5,6)
Volpicelli clinched at No. 6 singles