Joe Punnoose with a backhand against Augustana. (photo courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports)
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s tennis team won two non-conference matches Sunday. The Gusties started the day with a 7-0 win over Division II Augustana and capped the night with an 8-1 win over Luther to improve to 3-0 overall.
“Again today we were just grateful for the opportunity to compete,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “More than anything it was a joy to watch our guys compete and support each other all day.
“In the morning against Augustana, the guys were fantastic in the doubles. They executed our plan well and brought great energy. Securing the doubles point was huge for us, and in the singles we stayed the course on all courts and competed very positively. Against Luther, we brought great energy from the start in doubles, and handled the close moments with a lot of poise. They have some fantastic players at the top of their lineup who brought their best games tonight, and our guys embraced the challenge and handled the moment very well. Overall this weekend was a huge step forward for us. We’ll look to learn from it and to keep making progress as a team.”
Gustavus 7, Augustana 0
Singles
- Joseph Punnoose (Jr., Bloomington) (GACM) def. Damgaard, Cade (AUGIE) 7-5, 6-2
- Jack Bergmeyer (So., Lincoln, Neb.) (GACM) def. Stoutamire, Jakson (AUGIE) 6-0, 6-1
- Joel Hug (Jr., Bangkok, Thailand) (GACM) def. Mrozek, Eden (AUGIE) 6-3, 6-3
- Sourabh Terakanambi (So., Apple Valley) (GACM) def. Knewtson, North (AUGIE) 6-4, 4-6, 10-4
- Justin Sehlin (So., Bettendorf, Iowa) (GACM) def. Cowger, Tyson (AUGIE) 6-0, 6-4
- Sean Bochman (So., Fall Creek, Wis.) (GACM) def. Shafer, Tory (AUGIE) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles (count as one point for Division II rules)
- Joseph Punnoose/Sourabh Terakanambi (GACM) def. Damgaard, Cade/Knewtson, North (AUGIE) 6-3
- Lawrence Hiquiana (Sr., Downers Grove, Ill.)/Joel Hug (GACM) def. Mrozek, Eden/Stoutamire, Jakson (AUGIE) 6-4
- Luke Haddorff (Jr., Burnsville)/Drew Elofson (Jr., Saint Peter) (GACM) def. Cowger, Tyson/Shafer, Tory (AUGIE) 6-1
Gustavus 8, Luther 1
Singles
- Cole Schneider (LUTM) def. Nick Aney (Jr., Rochester) (GACM) 7-5, 7-6
- Indraneel Raut (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis.) (GACM) def. Nyathi Motlojoa (LUTM) 1-6, 6-2, 10-6
- Daniel Fouchier (So., Nootdorp, Netherlands) (GACM) def. Max Loen (LUTM) 6-0, 6-0
- Oscar Wikstrom (So., Hunnebostrand, Sweden) (GACM) def. Brook Norwood (LUTM) 6-2, 6-2
- Alex Budde (So., Menomonee Falls, Wis.) (GACM) def. Sakchham Karki (LUTM) 6-3, 6-2
- Caleb Fridinger (Fy., Woodbury) (GACM) def. Dylan Wiemers (LUTM) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles
- Alex Budde/Nick Aney (GACM) def. Cole Schneider/Nyathi Motlojoa (LUTM) 8-4
- Xavier Sanga (Sr., Madison, Wis.)/Daniel Fouchier (GACM) def. Max Loen/Brook Norwood (LUTM) 8-6
- Oscar Wikstrom/Caleb Fridinger (GACM) def. Sakchham Karki/Ryan Ortega (LUTM) 8-4
The Gusties next host UW-Eau Claire at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.