Athletics

Men’s Tennis Tops No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer 8-1

In a matchup of top-12 nationally ranked teams and the No. 2 ranked squads in their respective regions, the No. 8 Gustavus men’s tennis team put together a convincing 8-1 victory at No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday night. A split squad lost 6-3 against Hope International, moving the Gusties’ record to 14-6 overall.

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by

siewert

ANAHEIM & CLAREMONT, Calif. – In a matchup of top-12 nationally ranked teams and the No. 2 ranked squads in their respective regions, the No. 8 Gustavus men’s tennis team put together a convincing 8-1 victory at No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday night. A split squad lost 6-3 against Hope International, moving the Gusties’ record to 14-6 overall.

“The guys were truly outstanding today,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “The group that took on Hope International showed tremendous resilience to compete so well after coming up just short in the doubles. They played fantastic singles, never gave in, and competed with heart and belief. Against Pomona-Pitzer our entire team competed extremely well. We executed our game plans well in the doubles on each court, and to get the close win at No. 2 gave us a huge lift. Pomona is a very strong team and they play so well at home. We needed to stay in the moment and remain poised in the singles and the guys held each other up beautifully. We are thankful for the result and will look to learn from both matches as we continue on our spring trip.”

Gustavus has now faced six nationally ranked teams, five of which in the top-12, and are 5-1 with the lone loss coming against No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Emory by a slim 5-4 decision.

The Gusties continue their spring break trip in California tomorrow with matches against Lewis & Clark and Westmont.

Gustavus 8, Pomona Pitzer 1

Singles

  1. Mohanad Alhouni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya) (GAC) def. Jed Kronenberg (PPM) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3)
  2. Zach Ekstein (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) (GAC) def. Octave Bellet (PPM) 7-5, 6-0
  3. Chase Johnson (Jr., Golden Valley, Minn.) (GAC) def. Josh Gearou (PPM) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4)
  4. Patrick Whaling (Jr., Manakin Sabot, Va.) (GAC) def. Marko Mandic (PPM) 7-6 (7-0), 5-7, 6-1
  5. Yassine Derbani (So., Casablanca, Morocco) (GAC) def. Sam Malech (PPM) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
  6. Jacob Schoenherr (PPM) def. Tommy Entwistle (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) (GAC) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles

  1. Mohanad Alhouni/Patrick Whaling (GAC) def. Kalyan Chadalavada/Octave Bellet (PPM) 8-2
  2. Tommy Entwistle/Chase Johnson (GAC) def. Marko Mandic/Avery Bicks (PPM) 8-6
  3. Zach Ekstein/Mason Bultje (Sr., Mankato, Minn.) (GAC) def. Quinn Hirsohn/Jack Bernstein (PPM) 8-3

Gustavus 3, Hope International 6

Singles

  1. Michael O’Neil (So., Edina, Minn.) (GAC) def. Kyle Rae (HIU) 7-6, 3-6, 10-4
  2. Aleks Trifunovic (HIU) def. Gabe Steinwand (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) (GAC) 6-1, 6-4
  3. Xavier Sanga (Fy., Madison, Wis.) (GAC) def. Sergio Romero (HIU) 6-1, 6-0
  4. Antoine Voisin (HIU) def. Lawrence Hiquiana (Fy., Downers Grove, Ill.) (GACM) 6-3, 6-1
  5. Mouaad Alhouni (Fy., Tripoli, Libya) (GAC) def. Gabriel Bazertti (HIU) 6-2, 4-6, 12-10
  6. Jayke Ancheta (HIU) def. Grahamm Kellogg (Sr., St. Louis Park, Minn.) (GAC) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles

  1. Kyle Rae/Aleks Trifunovic (HIU) def. Michael O’Neil/Xavier Sanga (GAC) 9-7
  2. Jayke Ancheta/Gabriel Bazertti (HIU) def. Lawrence Hiquiana/Mouaad Alhouni (GAC) 8-6
  3. Sergio Romero/Antoine Voisin (HIU) def. Gabe Steinwand/Grahamm Kellogg (GAC) 9-8