Gustavus 7, Kalamazoo 2 (Box) | Gustavus 9, Bethany Lutheran 0 (Box)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s tennis team earned two non-conference victories on Sunday morning, including a 7-2 defeat of nationally-ranked No. 37 Kalamazoo College in Elkhorn, Wis. and a 9-0 win over Bethany Lutheran College at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex. With the pair of wins, the Gusties move to 21-7 overall heading into their final regular season match next Saturday.
“The guys put together a great bounce-back effort today,” said Coach Tommy Valentini. “They were extremely poised and showed great trust in one another to pick up the sweep in doubles. This gave us a great lift in singles. Ekstein and Whaling executed their game plans beautifully to get us to 5, and everyone competed hard in singles today. KZoo is a very strong and well coached group. We share a long standing, special rivalry with them, and we feel fortunate with today’s result.”
Against Kalamazoo, the Gusties started strong, earning a sweep in doubles play. Mohanad Alhouni/Andres Saenz earned an 8-4 win at No. 1, Zach Ekstein/Tommy Entwistle squeaked out a 9-8 decision at No. 2, and Mitch Elofson/David Hagberg took home an 8-6 victory at No. 3.
In singles play, Ekstein and Elofson each earned straight-set wins at the second and third spots, respectively, while Gabe Steinwand and Patrick Whaling added the other two points at the fifth and sixth positions.
A separate squad stayed back to take on Bethany Lutheran and was able to sweep the Vikings. The doubles combos of Mason Bulje/Taylor Parr, Collin Sandgren/Alex Senjem, and Joakim Ekfeldt/Grahamm Kellogg earned 8-4, 8-3, and 8-2 wins at the first, second, and third doubles positions, respectively.
In singles play, Bultje, Ekfeldt, and Sandgren each earned straight-set wins at the first, second, and third positions, respectively. Con-Aras Thierhoff, Alex Smith, and JJ Janssen picked up the remaining victories at the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots, dropping just six games between the three of them, including a 6-0, 6-0 win from Janssen at No. 6.
“The guys were focused from their first doubles points until their last singles points,” said assistant coach David Lachman. “Despite not having played outside much yet this season, they successfully implemented their strategies, and attitude, effort, and sportsmanship were exceptional across the board.”
Gustavus concludes its regular season next Saturday when it hosts Carleton College at the Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex in a 2 p.m. match.