The Saint Louis University men’s tennis team’s had its season came to an end on Sunday. The 12th-seeded Billikens lost a 4-1 decision to ninth-seeded Duquesne at the Atlantic 10 Men’s Conference Championships at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Penn. In its inaugural appearance in the A-10 Championships, the Billikens finished in 10th place, with a 2-2 record.

The tournament began last Friday, as SLU lost to fifth-seeded Temple, 4-0. The Billikens got an 8-6 victory from their No. 1 doubles tandem of freshmen Sean McManus and Paul Feder. The Billikens, however, dropped the doubles point after the teams of freshmen Felipe Acosta and Matt Gordon and freshman Adam Reeb and sophomore Kyle Shoff each lost 8-2. The Billikens failed to claim a victory in singles competition.

Playing in the consolation bracket on Saturday, the Billikens bested 11th-seeded Rhode Island, 4-3.

The Billikens swept URI in doubles competition, with McManus and Feder winning 8-4, Acosta and Gordon 8-2, and Reeb and Shoff 8-3. SLU also won three of six singles matches. Despite losing the first set 4-6, McManus took the next two sets 6-1 over Andrew Costin for the win. Gordon and Reeb each won in straight sets; Gordon defeated Mark Marcello (6-0, 6-3), while Reeb beat Kyle Duffy (6-0, 6-4).

The Billikens advanced to the second round of the consolation bracket and played 10th-seeded Fordham later that day. SLU won 4-0. The Billikens dominated doubles play once again, with McManus and Feder beating Mike Rosado and Mike Misti 8-4, and Acosta and Gordon defeating Peter Zipf and Pat Tool, 8-6. The Billikens also swept singles competition. McManus bested Misti (6-2, 6-3), Reeb defeated Phil Bednarczyk (6-3, 6-2) and both Feder and Gordon won (6-0, 6-5), beating Zipf and Tool, respectively.

The Billikens’ bid for a ninth-place finish was thwarted by Duquesne on Sunday. The doubles team of McManus and Feder lost to Devon Peightal and Adam Townsend 9-8, but SLU still managed to claim the doubles point with a 9-7 win by Acosta and Gordon, and an 8-4 victory by Reeb and Shoff.

The Billikens, however, lost singles matches in straight sets, and settled for a 10th-place finish.

Fatigue may have played a role, however, during singles competition.

“I think our biggest weakness was we were just really tired,” Reeb said. “It’s not an excuse, but it was our fourth match in 48 hours, and I think we just didn’t quite have the energy to come through and pull out a win. We fought hard, but we just couldn’t pull it out.”

The Billikens finished the season with a 6-13 record. The future, however, looks bright for this young squad; all but three of the 10 players on the roster are underclassmen.