Greenville, Ill
Tonight, the Principia Panther Men's Tennis Team faced the Greenville Panthers in their first SLIAC match of the season. This was a meeting of last seasons SLIAC Tournament finalists, and proved to be a tight match from the beginning. Principia played tough throughout the match, but after falling behind 2-1 after doubles, they were unable to catch Greenville as they fell in a tight one, 5-4.
At 1st doubles,
Joey Sander and
Brody Swan struggled in the early stages of their match. Unforced errors from themselves and steady play from their opponents put them down 3-0. However, they were able to quickly regroup and get themselves back in the match. Sander and Swan were able to take control of the match, going up a break at 7-5 and having three match points. However, they were unable to convert them and got subsequently broken back. At 7-7, Principia was again able to break Greenville and then serve out the match without much trouble. They won 9-7.
At 2nd doubles,
Jules Kitchingman and
Aaron Switzer fell behind an early break, but fought to keep within striking distance. At 6-3, they were broken again, but fought back and broke Greenville. They then held to make it 7-5 and put some pressure on their opponents, but Greenville proved too steady as they defeated Switzer and Kitchingman 8-5. At 3rd doubles,
Nat Kenworthy and
Doug DuFur played one of their best matches of the season. Consistent groundstrokes and solid net-play gave Principia the early break. However, towards the middle of the match Kenworthy and DuFur's consistency dropped and they fell behind a break. However, they found their rhythm and gained the break back. Trailing 8-7, they were unable to hold serve, as their Greenville opponents took the match 9-7.
With Greenville up 2-1 after doubles, Principia would have to win 4 out of 6 singles matches to take the match. Principia would come out eager to earn these 4 victories. At 5th singles,
Aaron Switzer was unable to find his rhythm against his opponent, falling 6-0, 6-0. At 1st singles,
Joey Sander played precision tennis throughout as he hit well from the baseline and closed at net. Sander won 6-1, 6-0. At 4th singles,
Brody Swan played well in stretches, but was not consistent enough to threaten his opponent. Swan fell 6-3, 6-2.
At 6th singles,
Dan Wagstaff played patient tennis throughout. He was able to control the long rallies and put enough pressure on his opponent to win crucial games. Wagstaff won 6-3, 7-6 (4). With this win, Principia needed to win the final two matches on court to win the match. At 3rd singles,
Nat Kenworthy played a very good match against a tough opponent. In the end it came down to a couple loose points from Kenworthy as he fell 6-3, 6-4. Although the match was decided,
Jules Kitchingman continued to play hard as he split the first two sets and his match came down to a third set tiebreaker. Kitchingman played a great tiebreaker as he took the match 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-5. It was a great effort from Kitchingman to finish the match on a high note for Principia.
Principia next plays SLIAC opponent Webster University at 1:30 PM on Saturday April 2nd at Home. If you are in the area, come out and support the Men's Tennis Team!
