No. 6 LSU Drops 4-3 Decision to No. 11 Texas A&M, Sweeps New Orleans, 4-0
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 6 LSU suffered its third loss of the season today against No. 11 Texas A&M in a 4-3 decision. They followed it up with a 4-0 sweep over New Orleans to wrap up their doubleheader at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU moves to 19-3, 5-2 in SEC play, while Texas A&M improves to 12-6 and 5-3 in the SEC, while New Orleans falls to 8-6.
“It was a great college tennis match with two top teams battling against each other for the second time this season,” said associate head coach Justin Butsch. “Both times the match has come down to the last court, and today we came up a point or two short in some of those doubles matches when we had our opportunity to win. Andrej [Loncarevic] is a winner and has been all season for us. We will move on and get ready for Friday against Arkansas.”
Match One
All three doubles matches entered deciding tiebreaks, starting on court two with No. 59 Erik Arutiunian and Matias Ponce de Leon against No. 48 Khololwam Montsi and Alexander Frusina. The freshman-senior pair has fallen behind an early break in two of their last three SEC matchups, this time doing so again at 3-1. However, in each of those battles, they struck back quickly, and today was no different as they were able to level it again at 3-3. From there, each team remained steady in tight service games as they pushed the match to a tiebreak after reaching 6-6. Neither team was able to create separation, even when the Tigers took a 5-3 lead before the Aggies leveled it again at 5-5. LSU held the advantage at 6-5, but Texas A&M saved a match point en route to a three-point run that secured the match for them, 7-6(6).
The third spot featured a match with multiple momentum swings between Olaf Pieczkowski and Enzo Kohlmann versus Lathan Scrobarcek and Markus Molder. Following a 3-0 deficit, the Tigers fought back to bring the score to 3-2. The Aggies broke them in the next game to halt their run, eventually pushing the lead to 5-2. With their backs against the wall, Pieczkowski and Kholmann battled their way back with a three-game stretch to level the match at 5-5. Each pair held their final service games to force the match into a tiebreak at 6-6. Scrobarcek and Molder created separation at the switch with a 4-2 advantage, maintaining a two-point cushion throughout the rest of the tiebreak to end the match at 7-6(5). LSU trailed Texas A&M 1-0 after a hard-fought doubles point.
Ponce de Leon re-entered the lineup at the sixth spot in a duel with Togan Tokac. The match began even, with both players holding their opening two service games to reach 2-2. However, Tokac found another gear to log his first break, moving forward with momentum and putting together a four-game run to wrap the first set, 6-2. Ponce de Leon was unable to find his footing in the second set, suffering a break in the first game and slipping to a 4-0 disadvantage. Unable to gain any rhythm even after getting on the board at 4-1, Tokac put the match to a close with a second set score of 6-1. Texas A&M led LSU, 2-0.
Sasa Markovic took on the fifth spot versus Molder. He appeared to have gained momentum from the jump, notching a break at his first opportunity to take a 1-0 advantage. However, Molder fired right back with a break of his own, following it up with a run of three straight to take a commanding 4-1 lead. He continued to apply pressure, preventing Markovic from mounting a comeback, logging another break before closing the set at 6-2. Markovic remained in the second set for longer, claiming another early break to take a 3-1 edge. Molder managed to bring it level at 3-3 before the two traded a pair of service games, reaching a 5-5 stalemate. The Aggie upped his play, tallying consecutive games to close the second set, 7-5. Texas A&M took a 3-0 lead over LSU.
Alessio Vasquez stepped onto the No. 4 court to face Tiago Pires, setting the tone with an early break to jump ahead 2-0. Pires worked his way back into the set, leveling it at 2-2 before backing it up with three more games to take a firm 5-2 lead. Vasquez refused to go away, mounting an impressive comeback to even the set again at 5-5. Full of energy and riding his late surge, Vasquez capped off his five-game run, logging the final two games to take the first set, 7-5. The second set remained tense through the early and middle stages as the two fought hard just to hold their serves. Very little separated them until Vasquez made another late push, earning a crucial break to go ahead 5-4. With the finish line in sight, he stayed composed and sealed the straight-set victory with a 6-4 second set. Vasquez got the Tigers on the board, but the Aggies still held the 3-1 advantage.
In their first meeting one month ago in the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, Texas A&M’s Theo Papamalamis defeated Pieczkowski 6-1, 6-4. Today, the freshman looked to flip the script, headlining the top court once more. This time, Pieczkowski settled into a strong rhythm after the opening games and was the first to strike with a break that put him ahead 2-1 before following it up with a hold to bring it to 3-1. Papamalamis stayed within reach but was never able to regain the edge through the middle stages. With formidable serves, Pieczkowski closed out the opening set with a 6-3 scoreline. He entered the second set with the upper hand, applying pressure to surge to a 2-0 advantage. Papamalamis regained his footing, leveling it at 2-2 as the set appeared to be tighter than the last. However, the Polish native quickly regained command, posting consecutive games to advance the score to 4-2. Though comfortably ahead, he never let off the gas and continued to force Papamalamis to fight for every point. He was unable to break the freshman’s flow as Pieczkowski closed the second set, 6-3. Pieczkowski earned a straight-set victory in his revenge match against Papamalamis, earning his way back into the win column with his fourth ranked takedown and improving his record to 7-4. Ultimately, he closed the gap between the two teams as Texas A&M led LSU 3-2.
No. 54 Arutiunian took on the second spot, looking to recover against his doubles rival, No. 86 Frusina. In their first matchup this season in the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, Arutiunian prevailed in a three-set thriller that clinched the match for the Tigers, winning 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. Today, the match looked like it was going to be a quick one, with Arutiunian storming to a 3-0 advantage right out of the gate. He never lost momentum, dismantling Frusina in a 6-0 first-set victory. In the second set, however, the Aggie was able to make his presence felt. After Arutiunian broke in the first game and appeared to be running away with the match, Frusina fired back with a break of his own and responded with a four-game stretch to build a 4-1 advantage. The Belarus native worked to stay within striking distance, delivering a key break to pull within 4-3, but it was not enough to halt Frusina’s momentum as he closed the second set and forced a deciding third at 6-3. In the final set, Arutiunian gained the upper hand at 2-0 and never let Frusina close the gap. He maintained his cushion through the middle stretch before going up a critical second break at 4-2. Frusina, overwhelmed, could not get back on track as Arutiunian ran off with the third set, 6-2. The freshman is 14-2 on the season, earning his fifth ranked victory of the season and pushing his win streak to nine matches. Most importantly, the Tigers found themselves level with the Aggies at 3-3.
For the second consecutive match, No. 117 Loncarevic battled in the deciding showdown on court three, this time against No. 49 Montsi. The opening set remained tight with the two finding their rhythm with steady holds. Loncarevic fired first, creating the separation he needed late in the set at 5-3. From there, he calmly served out the set, 6-3. Montsi answered back in the second, racing out to an early 3-0 lead. He kept control over Loncarevic for much of the set, reaching a 5-2 advantage, eyeing a decisive third. However, the French native fought back, putting on a three-game stretch to level the score at 5-5 before the set entered a deciding tiebreak at 6-6. Montsi built a convincing 4-1 lead and prevented Loncarevic from closing the gap as the set found its conclusion at 7-6(4). In this marathon match, entering a third set, Loncarevic claimed an early break and backed it with a critical service hold from down 0-40, ultimately taking a 4-1 advantage. Yet, the elements impacted play, and Montsi was able to grind himself back into the match, leveling it at 4-4 and putting Loncarevic on his heels. It was not meant to be this time for the sophomore, as Montsi clinched the match for Texas A&M, 4-3, posting a 6-4 third set.
Match Two
On court No. 1, the first-time pair of Arutiunian and Markovic took on Carlos Melgosa and Beltran Fernandez, quickly establishing control of the set. After splitting the opening two games, the Tigers created separation with a strong run of games that pushed their lead to 4-1. Continuing to dictate play, they prevented their opponents from finding their flow. Never in doubt, the LSU duo closed the set, 6-2.
In their second time taking the court together, first time on court two, Calin Stirbu and Vasquez faced Jacob Mailly and Evgenios Vasilakis in a competitive head-to-head. The match featured multiple early swings of momentum, with neither team able to hold their serves until it was level at 3-3. Here, Vasquez and Stirbu began to take control with a hold that gave them the 4-3 edge before they broke again to go ahead 5-3. Composed, they served out the set to earn the 6-3 victory. They clinched the doubles point for LSU, leading New Orleans 1-0.
Looking to recover from his previous match, Ponce de Leon slid up to the fourth spot versus Jerall Yasin. Upon crafting an early lead at 2-1, he gained separation with consistent pressure on returns, steadily extending the margin throughout the set to close it in command, 6-2. He never lost rhythm heading into the second set, storming to a 3-0 advantage and keeping Yasin on the defensive throughout. He cruised through the set without dropping a game to seal the dominant 6-0 second-set finish. LSU led New Orleans, 2-0.
Markovic made his way onto court two, looking to bounce back against Fernandez. The set opened with a tight stretch of games, falling behind early at 3-1. However, he recovered with a break of his own to bring himself back within reach at 3-2. After leveling the set at 3-3, he maintained control down the stretch, completing the five-out-of-six game run that secured it for him, 6-4. Now in the flow heading into the second set, Markovic wasted no time building a 3-0 lead. He kept the pressure on in the closing games and took the second set, 6-1. The Tigers led the Privateers, 3-0.
Vasquez made his court one debut against Mailly, setting the tone early with a break. After building a 4-2 lead, Mailly was able to stay within reach and worked his way back into the set. He trimmed the deficit to 5-4, but ultimately, Vasquez stayed solid and served out the opener, 6-4. The second set belonged to him, surging to a 4-0 lead and never allowing Mailly to gain his footing. He took charge of the remainder of the set and closed out the match in fashion, 6-1. LSU defeated New Orleans 4-0.
Up Next
LSU remains at home next week as they host Arkansas on Friday, March 20, at 5:30 p.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex.
Texas A&M vs LSU
Mar 15, 2026 at Baton Rouge, La
LSU Tennis Complex
#11 Texas A&M 4, #6 LSU 3
Singles competition
1. Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. #64 Theo Papamalamis (TAMU) 6-3, 6-3
2. #54 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. #86 Alex Frusina (TAMU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-2
3. #49 Kholo Montsi (TAMU) def. #117 Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
4. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) def. Tiago Pires (TAMU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Markus Molder (TAMU) def. Sasa Markovic (LSU) 6-2, 7-5
6. Togan Tokac (TAMU) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #29 Togan Tokac/Theo Papamalamis (TAMU) vs. #66 Andrej Loncarevic/Sasa Markovic (LSU) no result
2. #48 Kholo Montsi/Alex Frusina (TAMU) def. #59 Erik Arutiunian/Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 7-6 (8-6)
3. Lathan Skrobarcek/Markus Molder (TAMU) def. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 7-6 (7-5)
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 12-6; National ranking #11
LSU 18-3; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,5,4,1,2,3)
Official: Ritchie Weaver
New Orleans vs LSU
Mar 15, 2026 at Baton Rouge, La
LSU Tennis Complex
#6 LSU 4, New Orleans 0
Singles competition
1. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) def. Jacob Rouleau-Mailly (UNO) 6-4, 6-1
2. Sasa Markovic (LSU) def. Beltran Fernandez (UNO) 6-4, 6-1
3. Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) vs. Carlos Melgosa (UNO) 6-2, 5-3, unfinished
4. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) def. Jerall Yasin (UNO) 6-2, 6-0
5. Calin Stirbu (LSU) vs. Peter Kieslinger (UNO) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
6. Rudy Ceccon (LSU) vs. Evgenios Vasilakis (UNO) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Erik Arutiunian/Sasa Markovic (LSU) def. Carlos Melgosa/Beltran Fernandez (UNO) 6-2
2. Alessio Vasquez/Calin Stirbu (LSU) def. Jacob Rouleau-Mailly/Evgenios Vasilakis (UNO) 6-3
3. Rudy Ceccon/Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) vs. Jerall Yasin/Peter Kieslinger (UNO) 5-3, unfinished
Match Notes:
New Orleans 8-6
LSU 19-3; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,2,1)
Official: Ritchie Weaver