ST. GEORGE, Utah— The Colorado Mesa University men's tennis team recorded a solid 4-2 win over regionally-ranked Holy Names University on Friday evening here at Tonaquint Park after falling 7-0 to NCAA Division I Southern Utah University earlier in the day just up Interstate-15 in Cedar City.
 
CMU, ranked sixth in the ITA's NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings, is now 5-3 overall and 3-1 against NCAA Division I foes this year while Holy Names, tabbed tenth in the West Region, fell to 1-3 after the match, which was moved up from Saturday morning due to Friday evening due to looming weather forecasts in the area.
 
The Mavericks were slated to play the first of two regional matches against Western New Mexico on Saturday afternoon although the status of that affair is in doubt.  However, they do plan to face the Mustangs on Sunday morning as was originally scheduled.
 
Against Southern Utah at the Thunderbirds' courts, the Mavericks failed to win a match.  Tyler Landen put up the biggest fight taking his No. 3 singles affair against Keonho Shin to a third-set tiebreaker before going down 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-8).
 
Getting in the van for the short trip to St. George, the Mavericks responded well as they claimed a thrilling 1-0 overall lead after taking two of the three doubles matches.  Steven Howe and Landen claimed the doubles point clincher as they won a second-flight tie-breaker over Dimitrije Vukovic and Joseph Greco by an 11-9 margin. 
 
Earlier, Christian Albrechtsen and Alain De La Bastide had posted a 7-5 win over Javier Luque and Guillermo Romero, ranked ninth in the West Region, in the top flight after the Hawks had taken the No. 3 doubles match by a 6-2 score.
 
In singles, the Mavericks were strong at the top of the order as Albrechtsen downed Justus Drees 6-2, 6-4 at No. 1 singles to put CMU up 2-0 before the Hawks got on the board with a 6-3, 6-2 win from Hugo Nieto Alonso at No. 5 singles over Moises Cure.
 
However, Howe would then claim a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Vukovic at No. 4 singles before De La Bastide clinched CMU's overall win as he came from a set down to defeat Romero, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 2 match.
 
The other two singles matches went to three sets as well as Joseph Greco defeated CMU freshman Jandre van Wyk, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at No. 6.  Landen was leading his No. 3 match over Luque by a 2-1 score in the third set when it was called off with the dual already decided.
 
Mitchell Steadman also claimed an exhibition singles win for the Mavericks.