Lakeville, Minn. – It had been nearly one full month since the Gustavus men’s tennis team faced a conference opponent, but that didn’t appear to phase the Gusties as they earned a 9-0 victory over Carleton College on Saturday at the Lakeville LifeTime Fitness. Gustavus improves to 18-9 overall and 7-0 in the MIAC with the win, while Carleton is now 11-5 overall and 5-1 in the MIAC.
“It was a great team effort today,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “Carleton is a talented team and we knew a fast start in doubles would be key for us. Our guys showed great energy in doubles and stayed composed in some tight spots when we were down in key games.”
Coach Valentini shook up the lineup in doubles play, deviating from what had been a staple look over the past month. Tyler Johnson (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) and Gran Leisner (Jr., Andover, Minn. ) paired up for an 8-5 win at No. 1, Mya Smith-Dennis (Jr., Savage, Minn.) and Joey MacGibbon (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) won 8-0 at No. 2, and Brad Entwistle (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Motasem Al-Houni (So, Tripoli, Libya) picked up an 8-4 win at No. 3.
“The guys rose to the occasion and executed in singles,” Valentini added. “It was a pleasure to watch them compete. We feel fortunate with today’s result and now need to begin preparations for a very tough and experienced St. Thomas team.”
The short turnaround will send the Gusties to Minneapolis on Sunday. The men’s tennis team will face the Tommies at 3:00 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Singles competition
1. Mya Smith-Dennis (GAC) def. Austin Jiang (CAR) 6-3, 7-5
2. Grant Leisner (GAC) def. Alexander Chin (CAR) 6-3, 6-1
3. Juan Luis Chu (GAC) def. Paul Cooper (CAR) 6-3, 6-2
4. Joey MacGibbon (GAC) def. Andrew Hwang (CAR) 6-2, 6-1
5. Brad Entwistle (GAC) def. Nelson Wolf (CAR) 6-1, 6-1
6. Motasem Al-Houni (GAC) def. Christian Nagy (CAR) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Tyler Johnson/Grant Leisner (GAC) def. Paul Cooper/Andrew Hwang (CAR) 8-5
2. Mya Smith-Dennis/Joey MacGibbon (GAC) def. Austin Jiang/Alexander Chin (CAR) 8-0
3. Brad Entwistle/Motasem Al-Houni (GAC) def. Christian Nagy/Erik Johnson (CAR) 8-4