LAFAYETTE, La. -  The Mulerider Men's Tennis team returned from their weekend in Louisiana with their first win of the 2025 season. After tough losses to the Ragin' Cajuns and the Mavericks, the Muleriders bounced back with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Apaches from Tyler Junior College.

Southern Arkansas endured a challenging start in Lafayette, suffering back-to-back 0-4 defeats on Friday. However, the team found their rhythm on the final day of play and delivered a strong performance to secure their first win of the season.

The Muleriders came out firing against the Apaches, led by the doubles duo of Frode Neumann and David Wallechner, who went undefeated in doubles play over the weekend. They continued their dominance with a 6-3 victory over TJC's Morris/Mauricio Marincas. Seniors Lluc Pasqual and Jinsei Tajima then sealed the doubles point for Southern Arkansas with a hard-fought 7-5 win over Gashi/Borisov.

Heading into singles play with a 1-0 lead, the Muleriders quickly extended their advantage to 3-0 with wins on courts two and four. Freshman Wallechner secured his first collegiate singles victory in straight sets, defeating Daniel Jankoski 7-5, 6-2. Tajima followed with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over Doni Gashi, marking his 50th career singles victory.

However, the 3-0 lead turned into a 3-3 battle after the Muleriders dropped two three-set matches at lines one and three. With the match on the line, Pasqual found himself trailing 5-6, 15-40 in the deciding set. He saved the three match points before completing a thrilling 6-4, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3) victory to clinch the win for Southern Arkansas.

The Muleriders return to action on February 21, traveling to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on West Florida and West Alabama.