GRIFFITH, Ind. – Despite missing a couple lineup regulars who were ailing, the Roosevelt men's tennis team engaged in a tooth-and-nail battle against future conference rival St. Ambrose that resulted in the narrowest of losses, a 5-4 decision for the visiting Bees at Match Point Tennis.

Doubles play was a difficult road for Roosevelt, as the Lakers mustered just an 8-6 win by Serhiy Kiyasov and Josh Moller at the third spot.

Singles action was another matter.

The Green and White battled from the beginning, and Roosevelt collected three wins by way of Kiyasov, Moller and Carlos Alcantar.

Two of the other three matches needed extra tiebreaking play, and unfortunately for the Lakers, those went in favor of the Bees.

Despite the loss, the energy and fight in light of missing depth due to injury helped give Friday's close loss somewhat of a positive feel to take going forward.

"This was another important milestone match for our program," said Roosevelt head coach Lucian Tabic. "Dealing with some player injuries, the guys rallied around each other and kept their focus throughout the entire contest."

With two regular starters out due to injuries, we played very strong tennis, physically and mentally. This was evident in the fact that three singles matches were decided by third-set tiebreaks.

Today was absolutely a collective effort," Tabic said. "Great atmosphere, tough tennis, and incredible camaraderie. We will have a great week of practice as we've been having so far and prepare for our next match."

That next match is February 21 against Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. First serve is slated for 3 p.m. Central.

St. Ambrose 5, Roosevelt 4

SINGLES

1. Mitch Schumacher (SAU) def. Matt Kuntzi (RU) 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 1-0 (10-5)
2. Jimmy Kotany (SAU) def. Jake Cigelnik (RU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Serhiy Kiyasov (RU) def. Dave Smith (SAU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Luke Powers (SAU) def. Nick Kuntzi (RU) 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7)
5. Carlos Alcantar (RU) def. Bryan Espinosa (SAU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Josh Moller (RU) def. Kevin Beckett (SAU) 7-6 (7-0), 1-6, 1-0 (10-3)

DOUBLES

1. Schumacher/Espinosa (SAU) def. M. Kuntzi/Cigelnik (RU) 8-2
2. Kotany/Smith (SAU) def. Alcantar/N. Kuntzi (RU) 8-2
3. Kiyasov/Moller (RU) def. Powers/Beckett (SAU) 8-6