St. Louis, MO– The Principia Men's Tennis Team took on Missouri Baptist in a tune up for their SLIAC Tournament this upcoming weekend. Missouri Baptist provided some stiff competition and forced the Panthers out of their comfort zones. With 30 plus mile per hour winds, Principia was unable to find much of a rhythm today and fell 9-0 to their NAIA opponent.
At 1
st doubles,
Greg Sovie and
Brody Swan were unable to find their rhythm on returns as they fell 8-2. At 2
nd doubles,
Jules Kitchingman and
Nat Kenworthy fought through the conditions to play some exciting points, but in the end fell by a score of 8-3. At 3
rd doubles,
Dan Wagstaff and
Peter Griswold played against some tough opponents and were unable to earn a game, losing 8-0.
Singles proved to be a better showing for the Panthers as the winds died down some and allowed them to find a little rhythm. At 1
st singles,
Jules Kitchingman played some outstanding tennis throughout his match. After falling 6-3 in the first set, Kitchingman took a 4-1 lead in the 2
nd set, but was unable to close out the match as he fell 6-3, 6-4. At 2
nd singles,
Greg Sovie had a tough time early in the match, but started to find his groove later in the 2
nd set. Unfortunately, it proved to be too late as he fell 6-0, 6-3. At 3
rd singles,
Nat Kenworthy also found his rhythm in the 2
nd set as he began to dictate play. However, like Sovie, he fell 6-0, 6-3.
At 4
th singles,
Brody Swan battled hard against his opponent. Despite being down a set and 5-2, Swan fought hard to get back to 5-4. Swan was unable to complete the comeback as he fell 6-1, 6-4. At 5
th singles,
Dan Wagstaff had moments of outstanding play as he kept his opponent off balance, mixing both topspin and slice. However, he was unable to come away with the victory as he lost 6-1, 6-3. At 6
th singles,
Peter Griswold used his powerful forehand to take an early lead in his match. However, he was unable to sustain his play, falling 6-3, 6-1.
Principia has now completed their regular season with a record of 8-7. They will enter the SLIAC Tournament as the #1 seed, with a SLIAC record of 4-0. The SLIAC Tournament begins Friday with the Semi Finals as Principia will play the winner of Webster vs. Fontbonne. The match time will be at 2:00 PM. The Tournament is scheduled to take place at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, but in the event of rain will be played at King's Point Racquet Club in Belleville, IL.
