Elsah, Ill
Today was Senior Day for the Principia Men's Tennis Team as they took on NAIA opponent Missouri Baptist in a nonconference tune-up for the SLIAC Tournament. The Panthers honored their two seniors,
Joey Sander and
Aaron Switzer before the match as it was the final match they would play at home. The Panthers played some tough and inspired tennis against a very good Missouri Baptist team.
Joey Sander punctuated a great home career with a huge win at 1
st singles. Despite falling 8-1 in the match, all of the Principia players played well and will carry that momentum into the conference tournament.
At 1
st doubles,
Joey Sander and
Brody Swan played against a very good opponent. The combination of power and touch made it difficult for Sander and Swan to gain much momentum. They lost 8-2. At 2
nd doubles,
Jules Kitchingman and
Aaron Switzer played some very solid tennis throughout. Despite not making much of an impact of the score line, tactically they were sound. They also fell by a score of 8-2. At 3
rd doubles,
Nat Kenworthy and
Doug DuFur were unable to get things going. Too many unforced errors and double faults were their undoing as they lost 8-0.
Even though they were down 0-3, the Panthers played all of their singles matches with a purpose. At 2
nd singles,
Jules Kitchingman played very well throughout his match. He used his speed and counterpunching ability to make his mark on the match. Kitchingman was unable to come away with the victory, but it was a great showing in the 6-4, 6-2 loss. At 3
rd singles,
Nat Kenworthy played a very tough and hard hitting opponent, but did well throughout the first set to force his opponent into tough positions. After losing the first set, Kenworthy could not muster up enough good points in the second set, falling 6-3, 6-0. At 4
th singles
Brody Swan started slow, but picked it up in the second set. He made less unforced errors and moved his opponent around the court. Although he lost 6-0, 6-2, Swan showed marked improvement. At 6
th singles,
Dan Wagstaff played the best tennis he has played all season in the first set against his opponent. Wagstaff was consistent and was hitting a very hard ball. The set went to a tie breaker, but Wagstaff could not come away with the win, falling 7-6 (4). In the second set, Wagstaff ran out of gas as he fell 7-6 (4), 6-0.
At 5
th singles, senior
Aaron Switzer played very well. He was consistent throughout and hit his serve extremely well. Switzer played the best singles match of the year and pushed his opponent. Despite the loss, 6-4, 6-2, Switzer looked ready for tournament play. At 1
st singles,
Joey Sander played a great match in his home match. Sander served well and was thoughtful throughout in how to defeat his aggressive opponent. Sander won a tough first set 7-5. In the second set, Sander's play dropped slightly while his opponent found his rhythm. Sander lost 6-4 and they went to a third set. After a slow start, Sander picked up his energy and earned one of his best wins of the year, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
We thank Joey and Aaron so much for all of their contributions to the Men's Tennis Team over their career. Both have been excellent captains this season and have helped lead this group of young Panthers. Principia next plays on Friday, April 22
nd at 11:00 AM against Westminster College at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in the SLIAC Semi-Finals. Come out and show your support for the Panthers.
