Andres Saenz Hoyo and Marcel Gyswyt celebrate after winning a point on Friday against Saint John's in the MIAC Playoff Seminfals. Gustavus won the match 9-0.
St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team earned a trip to the MIAC Playoff Championship by way of a 9-0 victory over Saint John’s University in the semifinals on Friday at the Swanson Tennis Center. The Gusties swept doubles before cruising to six points in singles play. Gustavus improves to 27-5 overall with the win, while Saint John’s finishes its season 9-11.
Juan Luis Chu (Sr., Lima, Peru) and Joey MacGibbon (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) went to work early and never looked back at No. 2 doubles. The pair of the first to finish and gave Gustavus a 1-0 lead with an 8-2 win over Joe Laue and Andrew Nagel.
After Johnnies Jack Hansen and Connor Rust took a 3-2 lead at No. 1 doubles, Mya Smith-Dennis (Sr., Savage, Minn.) and Motasem Al-Houini (Jr., Tripoli, Libya) rattled off six straight games to take the point 8-3 and put the Gusties on top 2-0.
At No. 3 doubles, Andres Saenz Hoyo (Fr., Cancun, Mexico) and Marcel Gyswyt (Sr., Golden Valley, Minn.) broke serve early and led 4-1. The pair carried the momentum from that stage on, winning 8-3 to give Gustavus the doubles sweep and a 3-0 advantage.
Joey MacGibbon defeated Jordan Otto 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles to extend the lead to 4-0, and Brad Entwistle (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) brought the match to a decision at the No. 6 spot with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Andrew Nagel.
Juan Luis Chu defeated Jack Hansen 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1, Motasem Al-Houini beat Alex Wiegmann 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5, Grant Leisner (Sr., Andover, Minn.) took down Connor Rust 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4, and Mya Smith-Dennis edged Joe Laue 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 at No. 2.
The Gustavus men’s tennis team will now face fourth-seeded St. Olaf College in the MIAC Playoff Championship on Sunday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. on the Brown Outdoor Courts in St. Peter. The Playoff champion will receive the MIAC’s automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Tournament.
The MIAC has a home page dedicated to the 2014 MIAC Men’s Tennis Playoffs, containing schedules, links and information on each of the six teams in the field. Throughout the tournament, the page will be updated with scores, stats, updated schedules and more.
Fans can also track all the Playoff action on the MIAC Scoreboard or the MIAC mobile app, which is a free download for both Apple and Android devices. Connect throughout the tournament on social media through the MIAC’s Facebook page or Twitter account, using the hashtags #MIACMT and #MIACPlayoffs.