This post was updated Jan. 28 at 4:29 p.m.

Victories and defeats are both tests of a team’s mettle.

And for national-championship-aspiring No. 21 UCLA men’s tennis (2-2), ITA Kickoff Weekend encapsulated the frustrations of falling short and the satisfaction of redemption. In two matches at Harvard’s Murr Center in Boston, UCLA fell to No. 13 Texas A&M (3-0) by a score of 4-3 on Saturday before rebounding against Georgia (2-2) with a 4-2 win Sunday.

“We played a good match (against Texas A&M) yesterday – just came up just a tiny bit short. … Came back today with a good attitude, got a good win over a good Georgia team,” coach Billy Martin said. “We’re coming along nicely, and our freshmen are getting some really instant experience in these tough, tough matches.”

For a team acclimated to the outdoors like the Bruins, the Murr Center’s indoor courts were a point of adjustment, Martin said, especially during the first day of matches.

Martin added that the tournament was about refining the Bruins’ play style – especially for senior Alexander Hoogmartens. After a singles performance against San Diego last Monday that Martin called disappointing, Hoogmartens bounced back this weekend to defeat Texas A&M’s Togan Tokac 6-4, 6-3 and Georgia’s No. 125 Oscar Pinto Sansano 6-1, 7-5.

“I was focusing on my serve, (which) was way better, especially today (against Georgia),” Hoogmartens said. “I had a lot of free points on my serve, and my forehand was also better this weekend. I was able to play my game a little bit more. … I definitely reached a higher level of tennis.”

Hoogmartens added that he thrived in Murr Center’s indoor setting, having grown up playing on indoor courts.

Freshman Rudy Quan, the No. 2 singles player in the Bruins’ lineup, faced off against two ranked opponents. He narrowly lost to the Aggies’ No. 60 JC Roddick 3-6, 6-2, 3-6 and defeated the Bulldogs’ No. 53 Ryan Colby 6-2, 6-3.

“Unbelievable determination,” Martin said about Quan’s performance. “Gutsy effort. … Boy, he was the pressure cooker. … He can compete at the highest level for us.”

After the weekend on the East Coast, Martin said his team is ready for what’s ahead.

UCLA returns to Westwood to face California on Saturday before battling No. 18 Stanford on Sunday.

“We’ve got an unbelievable weekend coming up,” Martin said. “We’re going to be right in dogfights again. So it’s what we enjoy. All of us love great competition. We’ve got to … keep improving.”