Box Score (PDF)

ORLANDO, Fla. – A momentum-boosting season for the George Mason University men's tennis program came to an end Thursday during a 4-2 setback to La Salle at the USTA National Campus.
 
Mason battled hard in the match, but ultimately, a tiebreaker to decide doubles played a pivotal role in the match's outcome.
 
The Patriots end the season with an 11-10 record and a 4-2 mark in the Atlantic 10. The four A-10 wins are the most by the team since 2014-15 and the No. 6 seed the Patriots earned in the A-10 Championship is tied for the best placement in program history.
 
"This was a tough loss for us today, but I don't want it to spoil all the special moments we had this season," head coach Jimmy Davis said. "I'm so proud of this team for everything we were able to accomplish this year. They came together as a family and became one of the closest teams I've ever had the honor of coaching."
 
Mason took the early 1-0 lead in doubles after graduate student Giuliano Buzoianu and junior Edward Ayers cruised 6-2 at No. 3. That duo won three of its last four matches to end the season.
 
After graduate student Pally Ray and sophomore Ryan Charles were edged 6-4 at No. 1, the doubles point came down to No. 2. In that contest, junior Jakob Nielsen and freshman Erick Rivas competed in a tight match throughout before heading to a tiebreaker. The Mason duo trailed 4-0 and 5-1, but came all the way back to tie it at 5-5. However, La Salle's Gonzalez/Merrill pair rallied with two-straight points to clinch the point for the Explorers.
 
Buzoianu continued his splendid final match with an outstanding performance at No. 5 singles. He dominated in his first set (6-1), then took a 6-2 triumph in the second to tie the match at 1-1. The Romanian wraps up his final Mason season with an 8-4 singles mark, including a perfect 4-0 record in Atlantic 10 play. He won his final seven singles matches in a Mason uniform.
 
Sophomore Ryan Charles quickly added a point at No. 4 to give Mason the 2-1 lead. Trailing 3-0 in the first set, Charles stormed back to win six of the next seven games to take the first set, 6-4. Then in the second, he picked up an early service break, then grabbed another late in the frame to win it, 6-2.
 
From there, at No. 3, Nielsen dropped a 6-3 first set, but bounced back with a strong second which headed to a 6-6 tiebreaker. In the extra points, Nielsen had it tied up at 5-5, but Fenjiro of La Salle won the final two points to claim victory. Despite the setback, Nielsen has a lot to be proud of. He won 10 of his last 13 singles matches on the year and went 4-2 in Atlantic 10 play.
 
After that, Ray won his first set at No. 2, 6-3, after commanding the frame with a late service break. But the Georgian could not keep that same command in the final two frames, dropping them 6-2, 6-1.
 
With Mason down, 4-2, the match headed to No. 6 singles, where Rivas swept his first set, 6-0, but dropped the second, 6-3. Trailing 3-0 in the third, Rivas rallied to tie it at 3-3. The score remained tied at 5-5, but Lucius of La Salle won the final two games to clinch the match for the Explorers.
 
The one match remaining featured Ayers at No. 1. Trailing 5-4 in the first set, he won his final three games with his back against the wall to win the frame (7-5). He trailed 6-5 in the second, but was looking to keep the same focus as the first before the match was called. Ayers went 10-6 in dual singles from the top spot in 2018-19 and took down some of the Atlantic 10's best players on the year.
 
Now, as the season draws to a close, the program will celebrate the contributions of the departing Class of 2019 – Ray, Buzoianu and Amir Alkhafaji.
 
"A special thank you to our seniors," Davis said. "They've given our young roster a strong foundation to build on, and that group will continue instilling the same values in the new guys coming in next year."
 
Mason returns five student-athletes who competed in Florida for the 2019-20 season. It's a season in which the Patriots will look to build on the impressive set of accomplishments achieved this year.
 
"This loss definitely hurts, but it has fired us up to make sure we come back stronger and more mentally tough than ever," Davis said. "I'm excited for the potential this program has, and I believe we showed really strong glimpses of it throughout the season. We're excited to get back to work and can continue building on this strong campaign."