GREENVILLE, IL – In the span of four days, the Principia Men's Tennis team took on their two main conference rivals, Greenville and Webster, on the road. Both matches were important precursors to the upcoming UMAC Tournament as the results would determine the playoff seeding.
The first match came on Friday evening in St. Louis against Webster University. The Panthers were favored in this matchup and were coming in with a 13 match win streak against the Gorloks. The Principia men started off on the right foot by sweeping the doubles in three close matches.
Jesús Soto Bossa and
Ignacio Zamora at #2 doubles, and
Rafter Sprague and
Álvaro Martín Moliz at #3 doubles each won 8-6, while the #1 doubles team of
Nacho Cachaza and
Ernesto Botero went deep into a tiebreaker before emerging victorious 8-7 (12-10).
The Panthers then took care of business in singles winning #2 (Cachaza), #3 (Botero), #4 (Zamora) and #5 (Sprague) in straight sets to clinch the 7-2 victory. Their two losses at #1 (Bossa) and #6 (Moliz) came in the third set 10-point tiebreaker. Overall, Principia played well against an improved Webster squad, but they knew they would need to raise their level against Greenville in order to defeat the defending conference champions.
The match at Greenville was moved up a day to Monday in order to capitalize on ideal weather conditions for their outdoor contest. Principia had lost to Greenville in both their regular season and postseason meetings the last two years, so the team had been training all season to prepare to face their chief rivals. While their eventual postseason matchup will matter more, Monday's meeting was a chance to take a big step towards Principia's goals of winning the conference.
The match did not disappoint as from the first toss, it was a rumble. Winning at least two out of three doubles matches is crucial to defeating Greenville, and Principia rose to the occasion showing their grit and readiness to compete with everything they had. Just like against Webster, the Panthers won all three doubles with two matches ending 8-6, and the third – this time the #2 pair of Bossa and Zamora – winning in a tiebreaker 8-7 (7-3).
With that all that gained momentum, the singles battles were no less challenging, however Principia rose again to capture four victories at #1 (Bossa), #2 (Cachaza), #3 (Botero) and #6 (Moliz) in straight sets to clinch the match 7-2. Their losses at #4 (Zamora) and #5 (Sprague) both came in the third set, so just like the Webster match, all six singles players won at least one set. The victory gives Principia the #1 seed going in to the UMAC South Tournament on April 26 at Forest Park.
This strong performance earning a commanding victory over Greenville is a big step up from the past two seasons and shows how far the Panthers have come. The team knows the job is far from finished, but playing their best tennis of the season in what was their most important match to date is a big confidence builder moving forward. Kudos to the whole lineup for coming to fight.
Up Next: As they prepare for the UMAC South Tournament the following Friday, the Panthers will host Lewis & Clark for an exhibition on Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00 PM. The team will celebrate senior
Rafter Sprague with a pregame ceremony before the final home match of his collegiate career.
