Elsah, Ill. -- Men's Tennis carved out a competitive win against the Trailblazers Tuesday night in Hexberg Tennis Center. Panther's 1
st doubles team,
Joey Sander and
Brody Swan played brilliantly against the Trailblazer's top team winning 8-2. Doubles Teams 2 and 3 both went the distance in their matches but came up short in their pro sets with scores of 6-8 and 8-9 respectively. Singles proved to be the winning edge for Principia's baseliners, although Lewis and Clark's squad did not make it easy. At the helm,
Joey Sander played freshman Jon Koons in a rematch from the fall season. Koons, who lost to Joey last October, admittedly was seeking a different outcome tonight and
started off right. In the first set, his penetrating groundstrokes kept Sander pressed to the backcourt, showing why Jon leads the Trailblazers at the top spot; he won the first set 6-4. But in turn, Joey demonstrated why he's so tough to beat, as he tactically dismantled Koons toward a commanding win of the second set 6-0. Ultimately, Sander went on to close the match with a respectable 10-7 win in the super tiebreaker.
Brody Swan took an early lead that looked commanding but the match demonstrated how in tennis there's always opportunity to turn the tide, and Trailblazer Nikola Djojaic succeeded, besting Swan in a very tough match. Brody admittedly learned much from that challenge and like the sportsman he is, praised his opponent's win.
In other notable matches, #2
Julian Kitchingman held his ground with a strong straight set win over a tough player, Adam Buchman, who challenged Jules to dig deep; he did. Jules continues to show what a gritty competitor he is as a freshman, finding ways to defeat players his senior—he just continues to grow. Nat Kenworthy, our other awesome Aussie, duked out a straight set win against a feisty competitor at the number 4 singles spot, winning in a tight second set tiebreak that Nat closed out convincingly. His opponent pushed Nat hard, but he didn't crack in the pressure points. Well done. With the final two matches going on simultaneously,
Aaron Switzer and
Dan Wagstaff also pulled out wins, with Wagstaff's match win putting the Panther's over the line first for the collective team victory. Switzer, dueling against the same player he battled this Fall, Jared Smith, showed the same intelligence and deft shot selection that led him to take control of the match. Dan at the 6 singles spot came back from a set down and settled into his match against Vince Gass. Wagstaff found a strong second wind that led him into a nail biting super tiebreak. Fans from both benches were on the edge of their seats knowing the importance of each point, and witnessed Panther Wagstaff close with a decisive winner and a gutsy celebratory fist pump - it was clear -
he wanted it. With the team victory now in their pocket, Switzer went on to close his match strongly giving the fans and our men's team so much to celebrate.
Here's a recap of singles match scores: 1
st Joey Sander vs. Jon Koons 4-6, 6-0, (10-7 super tiebreaker)
2
nd Julian Kitchingman vs. Adam Ruckman 6-4, 6-1
3
rd Brody Swan vs. Nikola Djojaic 6-0, 3-6, (7-10 super tiebreaker)
4
th Nathanael Kenworthy vs. Pedro Ferretti 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
5th
Aaron Switzer vs. Jared Smith 6-0, 7-5
6
th Dan Wagstaff vs. Vince Gass 4-6, 6-4 (12-10 super tiebreaker)
Each week, the Panther men's team chips away at learning more effective tactical methods of playing singles and doubles; they are resilient, humble, intent on growing and committed to leaving everything out there in competition. Kudos to
Andrew Kratz and
Peter Griswold, who although were not in the battle, contributed by pushing their teammates in practice and challenge matches. Congratulations Panther Men's Tennis!
