Elsah, ILL. -- Principia Men's Tennis opened their 2018-19 campaign with a solid 7-2 win over NAIA Missouri Baptist Tuesday evening, exacting revenge on a team that handled the Panthers 8-1 less than two years ago.
Early on players dealt with high temperatures, but Principia managed to take two of three doubles matches.
Dan Wagstaff and Daniel Gomez put the Panthers on the board first with an 8-1 dismantling of the Spartans at the three spot. On court one,
Wyatt Dale and
Greg Sovie battled through a back and forth match that came down to a tiebreak, though the Spartans gutted out a narrow two-point victory.
In an absolute marathon on court two, junior
Jules Kitchingman and senior
Nat Kenworthy fought for a crucial doubles point, breaking back to earn a tiebreak after overcoming initial adversity. The longtime partners' experience and trust in each other showed, as they pulled through to give the Panthers momentum and the ever-important 2-1 lead going into singles play.
Principia's talent shone through particularly in singles play, as they demonstrated an ability to pick up wins from all over the lineup. First off the court was Kitchingman at the four spot, who remarkably has only practiced once with the team this fall. Gomez followed soon after, and the two combined to drop only three games. The clincher went to Kenworthy on court five, where he split sets, but came back to finish off yet another tiebreak win.
On court two, Dale squeaked out a tight first set and dominated the second.
Peter Griswold came from behind multiple times at the six spot to pick up another point with a close tiebreak win. Last to finish was Sovie, whose match provided another example of his ability to battle through adversity and questionable line calls. He split sets but fell short in the tiebreak, bringing a 7-2 team win to a close.
The Panthers have only begun to shake the rust off their games this fall but are excited to tackle another season, one they expect to be a great last ride for the team's five seniors.
Box score (winners in bold):
1
st doubles:
Wyatt Dale/
Greg Sovie vs
Rodrigo Rattes/Patrick Szynczak 9-8 (8)
2
nd:
Jules Kitchingman/Nat Kenworthy vs Lucas Lobao/Don Kern 9-8 (6)
3
rd:
Daniel Gomez/Dan Wagstaff vs Austin Hale/Colton Albers 8-1
4
th exhibition doubles:
Esteban Rojas Acuna/Elliott Mathieson vs
Missouri Baptist 8-1
1
st singles:
Daniel Gomez vs Rodrigo Rattes 6-0, 6-2
2
nd:
Wyatt Dale vs Patrick Szynczak 7-6(4), 6-2
3
rd:
Greg Sovie vs
Lucas Lobao 6-0, 6-7(4), 10-4
4
th:
Jules Kitchingman vs Don Kern 6-0, 6-1
5
th:
Nat Kenworthy vs Austin Hale 6-1, 4-6, 10-8
6
th:
Peter Griswold vs Colton Albers 4-6, 6-1, 10-8
