Elsah, IL – Men's Tennis opened SLIAC play against Greenville University at home, taking out the rival Panthers 7-2.
A look at the matches:
Despite the lopsided final score, Greenville came ready to play, as they always do against Principia. Daniel Gomez and Wyatt Dale stayed undefeated together with a smooth 8-5 win in doubles. Rafter Sprague and William Johnson played their best match of the season, hitting the right spots on serve and returning well on their way to an 8-3 win. Up 7-6 at #2, Juan Segovia and Drew Funke held serve to close out their match and get the doubles sweep.
It didn't take long for the Panthers to shut the door in singles. The top three of Gomez, Dale, and Segovia (clinch) took care of business with straight-set wins, followed by Sprague at #5. Greenville made it interesting by taking #6 singles and winning at #4 in three sets.
Good to know:
Greenville competed without their #3 player, who missed the match due to Covid protocol. The Panthers will be in for another fight should each team advance to the conference championship later this month. This was Principia's 8th consecutive win in the rivalry, dating to the 2016 regular season.
Up next: The Panthers go to St. Louis to play Washington University on Friday at 4 pm. The Bears of Wash U were ranked 11th nationally as of last season.
