COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Elon tennis standout Damon Gooch's run in the NCAA Singles Championships ended in the Round of 32 on Wednesday afternoon in a tightly contested two-set defeat at the hands of 17th-ranked Conor Pollock of host Texas A&M.  Gooch fell after having to play a tie-break in both sets 6-7 (8-10), 6-7 (1-7).

After claiming an early 3-0 lead in the first set, Gooch saw Pollock rally back and force a tie-break.  Pollock would win the opening set 7-6 after earning a 10-8 decision in the tie-break.

In the deciding set, Gooch fell behind 5-1 before storming back to take the next four games and even the set at 5-5.  Pollock moved ahead 6-5 and Gooch looked to extend the match in game 12 of the set.  Gooch scored the first point of the game to grab a 15-0 lead only to have Pollock claim the next point.  After Gooch moved ahead 30-15 only to have the Aggie even the score again.  Gooch won the next two points to even the set at 6-6 and force another tie-break.

In the tie-break, Pollock quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Gooch earned his first point.  Pollock then won the next two points to seal the victory and advance to the Round of 16.

Gooch, the first Elon player to ever earn a berth in the individual NCAA Division I Tournament, finished the spring with a 19-9 record in singles play including a 1-1 mark in the tournament. Gooch entered the tournament ranked 86th in the nation.