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(13) NC State	6
Virginia Tech	2
Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team dropped at tight, 4-3, decision Friday afternoon to No. 21 Pepperdine in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Kick-off Weekend being played at the Sheffield Tennis Center on the Duke University campus. Tech will play No. 25 Michigan on Saturday in the 2 p.m., consolation match.

Virginia Tech (2-1), ranked No. 25 in this week’s ITA national poll, dropped the doubles point, before splitting the six singles matches.

With The Waves leading 3-2, the match came down to the No. 1 and No. 6 contests which both went to a third set. Pepperdine clinched the team match at No. 6 as Alfredo Moreno defeated Tech’s Lucas Oliveira (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil), 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Lucas Somen (Jr., Karlovac, Croatia) upset 14th-ranked Sebastian Fanselow, 7-6, 2-6, 7-6, at No. 1 for the final score.

After Pepperdine (3-0) took an early 1-0 advantage by opening the match with two doubles victories, the Waves captured the No. 3 singles match as Alex Llompart, ranked No. 40 nationally, defeated Pedro Graber (r-Sr., Santiago, Chile), 6-2, 6-3. Tech got on the board as Corrado Degl’ Incerti Tocci (Jr., Reggio Emilia, Italy) won his No. 4 match, 6-4, 6-3, over Jenson Turner and the Hokies evened the contest at 2-2 with Will Beck’s (Sr., Potomac, Md.), 7-6, 6-4, victory at No. 5 over Mousheg Hovhannisyan.

Pepperdine recaptured the lead when Patrick Daciek (Jr., Severna Park, Md.) dropped his No. 2 contest, 6-3, 7-6, versus 112th-ranked Finn Tearney setting up the final two matches to decide the contest.

The Waves won the doubles point to open the match. Somen/Tocci dropped the No. 1 contest to the 35th-ranked duo of Clarke/Tearney, 8-2, and Beck/Graber fell, 8-5 at No. 2 against Llompart/Moreno. Daciek/Sebastien Jacques (Sr., Magog, Quebec, Canada) trailed in the No. 3 match, 7-4, versus Fanselow/Turner when the contest was halted once Pepperdine had clinched the doubles point.

In the other first round match, No. 14 Duke (4-0) shutout No. 24 Michigan (1-2), 7-0, and will play Pepperdine on Saturday at 6 p.m in the regional final.

The event features 60 teams playing in 15 regionals across the nation that will battle for the right to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 18-20 in Seattle, Wash.

#21 Pepperdine 4, #25 Virginia Tech 2
Singles
1. Lucas Somen (VT) def. #14 Sebastien Fanselow (P) 7-6, 2-6, 7-6
2. #112 Finn Tearney (P) def. Patrick Daciek (VT) 6-3, 7-6
3. #40 Alex Llompart (P) def. Pedro Graber (VT) 6-2, 6-3
4. Corrado Degl’ Incerti Tocci (VT) def. Jenson Turner (P) 6-4, 6-3
5. Will Beck (VT) def. Mousheg Hovhannisyan (P) 7-6, 6-4
6. Alfredo Moreno (P) def. Lucas Oliveira (VT) 6-3, 6-7, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 2, 6*, 1

Doubles
1. #35 Hugh Clarke/Tearney (P) def. Somen/Tocci (VT) 8-2
2. Llompart/Moreno (P) def. Beck/Graber (VT) 8-5
3. Fanselow/Turner (P) led Daciek/Sebastien Jacaques (VT) 7-4 DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2*

For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MTennis).