The No. 9 Texas Tech men’s tennis team kept its chances alive to clinch a share of its first Big 12 regular season title and battled past No. 19 Texas with a 5-2 victory Friday in front of spirited 532 fans at the McLeod Tennis Center.

The Red Raiders (25-4, 3-1 Big 12) ended a three-match losing streak to Texas (17-10, 1-4 Big 12) and moved into possession of second place in the Big 12 standings. The 25 victories for Texas Tech has tied a program single-season record with the 2005 squad which also finished with a 25-4 record.

Tech is still alive to share the Big 12 regular season championship with No. 4 TCU. The two teams will meet 1 p.m. CT on Sunday at the McLeod Tennis Center.

“It was awesome to come right out of the gate and win the doubles point,” Texas Tech head coachBrett Masi said. “It was a fun atmosphere, and the electric crowd was a huge help for us. I thought our guys handled some pressure moments well in the middle of the doubles matches. We weren’t playing our best when singles started. However, we found a way to get four first sets, and that carried us forward.”

With the score knotted at 2-2, the Red Raiders seized the momentum behind their Brazilian seniors Hugo Dojas and Felipe Soares.

Dojas grinded out a tightly-contested 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Harrison Scott at the No. 2 position to vault Texas Tech to a 3-2 advantage. In the second set tiebreaker, Dojas raced out to a 5-1 advantage and never looked back. He won a long rally which ended with Scott spraying a forehand into the net.

Soares overcame a 4-2 first set deficit to force a tiebreaker on the No. 1 singles line. He built a 6-2 lead in the breaker and used a serve-and-volley play which forced George Goldhoff into a forehand error. Goldhoff answered and claimed the second set by a 6-3 margin. However, Soares regained the momentum with an early break and fired out to a 3-0 edge. He improved to 5-0 in three-set matches this season and closed out a 6-3 win with a service ace up the T from the ad court.

“It was amazing feeling and the first time beating Texas in my career,” Soares said. “It was great to be at home and to have my parents here. I love third sets, it can go both ways. I felt that he (Goldhoff) was under all the pressure tonight. The crowd was unbelievable, and they helped me a lot. My serve was huge. I felt I served very well in the spots that I wanted to, and that helped me a lot too.”

Seconds later, Jolan Cailleau picked up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Rodrigo Banzer on court four to put the finishing touches on the 5-2 triumph. Like Soares, Cailleau jumped out to a 3-0 edge during the deciding third set. It was Cailleau’s first match as a ranked player this season.

“Hugo and Felipe are the most veteran guys on the team,” Masi said. They had never beat Texas, so that had to be on their mind. Hugo played a great breaker in the second set. I thought it was important that he got us off the court and got us to three points. Jolan and Felipe were doing a good job in their third sets and both went out to big leads early. Again, they were looking to fight back after they lost their second sets. We were able to build ourselves a cushion and were able to bring the victory home.”

The Red Raiders reeled off three of the last four games on courts one and three to secure the doubles point. Alex Sendegeya and Bjorn Thomson along with Carlos DiLaura and Dojas posted identical 6-3 victories sandwiched between a 6-2 decision for Texas’ Adrian Ortiz and Julian Zlobinsky at the No. 2 spot.

The Longhorns drew even at 1-1 when Michael Riechmann notched a 7-5, 6-2 win against Connor Curry from the No. 5 slot.

Texas Tech regained a 2-1 edge after Sendgeya erased a 4-0 second-set hole and ripped off six consecutive games to close out a 6-3, 6-4 triumph against Ortiz at the No. 3 position.

Zlobinsky provided another equalizer for Texas and dealt Thomson a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 setback at the bottom of the lineup.

The Red Raiders will square off with its fifth straight Top 20 opponent in No. 4 TCU on Sunday. First serve is on-tap for 1 p.m. CT from the McLeod Tennis Center. The match will serve as Senior Day for Dojas, Soares and Evan Nix. Admission is free with free pizza while supplies last.

Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men’s tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.

No. 9 Texas Tech 5, No. 19 Texas 2 
04/22/16 at Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Tennis Center) 

Doubles 
1. No. 73 Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson (TTU) vs. George Goldhoff/Michael Riechmann (UT): 6-3
2. Adrian Ortiz/Julian Zlobinsky (UT) defeats Connor Curry/Felipe Soares (TTU): 6-2 
3. Carlos DiLaura/Hugo Dojas (TTU) defeats John Mee/Harrison Scott (UT): 6-3 

Singles 
1. No. 20 Felipe Soares (TTU) defeats No. 64 George Goldhoff (UT): 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 
2. No. 110 Hugo Dojas (TTU) defeats Harrison Scott (UT): 6-4, 7-6 (3) 
3. Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Adrian Ortiz (UT): 6-3, 6-4 
4. No. 119 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) defeats Rodrigo Banzer (UT): 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 
5. Michael Riechmann (UT) defeats Connor Curry (TTU): 7-5, 6-2 
6. Julian Zlobinsky (UT) defeats Bjorn Thomson (TTU): 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 

Match Notes 
Texas Tech (25-4, 3-1 Big 12); National ranking No. 9 
Texas (17-10, 1-4 Big 12); National ranking No. 19 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,2,6,1,4) 

(Press Release Provided by Texas Tech Athletics)