OCEANSIDE, SANTA BARBARA, IRVINE, CLAREMONT, ANAHEIM, PASADENA, Calif. — The Gustavus men’s tennis team toured southern California over spring break, facing a total of seven opponents for nine matches. The Gusties saw three NCAA DIII ranked opponents, facing No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer, No. 13 Cal Tech, and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Gustavus came away with a trio of wins on the trip, including a 6-3 victory over the Beavers of Cal Tech.
“We had a great trip to Southern California. Given the weather and travel challenges as we were getting out of town, we needed to stay positive and resilient both to get matches in and to compete well, and the guys were fantastic in focusing on what was within our control and letting go of what was not,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “We played better as the week went on, stayed present, and showed both toughness and gratitude each day and in each match. Every member of our group contributed in the lineup against strong competition — and we grew a lot through all of the challenges and through facing some elite DIII opponents from the SCIAC.”
Gustavus 6, St. Katherine 1 | BOX SCORE
After travel delays, the Gusties finally arrived in California and started the trip with a 6-1 victory over NAIA opponent University of St. Katherine. The Gusties were dominant in the doubles, winning all three competitions, including two by scores of 6-1. From there, the Gusties won five of six in the singles, including a three set victory from Taona Mhwandagara (So., Harare, Zimbabwe) in the No. 1 spot.
Gustavus 1, Westmont 6 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties got a taste of their own medicine in their second match of the trip, falling to Westmont by a score of 6-1. Westmont won five of six singles matches, as Luke Haddorff (Sr., Burnsville) came away with the only singles win for the Gusties with a come-from-behind victory in the third set. In the doubles, Jack Bergmeyer (Sr., Lincoln, Neb.) and Rafael Costa (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil) picked up a victory at No. 2, but Westmont ultimately won the doubles point with wins at the one and three spot.
Gustavus 3, No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer 6 | BOX SCORE
On day two, the Gusties faced the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer, falling by a score of 6-3. Nick Aney (Sr., Rochester) picked up the singles win in the No. 1 spot with set victories of 6-3 and 6-2. In the No. 6 singles, Alex Budde (Sr., Menomonee Falls, Wis.) continued his winning ways, taking the victory with two 7-6 wins. Aney and doubles partner Daniel Fouchier (Sr., Nootdorp, Netherlands) won the only doubles match of the day for the Gusties, defeating the Sagehens 8-5 at No. 1.
Gustavus 5, Hope International 2 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties started day three with a victory against NAIA Hope International. Putting away two doubles decisions early helped the Gusties gain the advantage over the Royals, and ended the day with four singles victories courtesy of Drew Elofson (Sr., Saint Peter), Luke Fridinger (Fy., Woodbury), Tyler Haddorff (Fy., Burnsville) and Ali Derbani (Fy., Casablanca, Morocco).
Gustavus 6, No. 13 Cal Tech 3 | BOX SCORE
Against their second ranked opponent of the week, the Gusties impressed against the Beavers, sweeping the doubles matches and winning three of six singles to take home the victory. Marco Siviero (So., Sao Miguel de Oeste, Brazil), Josh Christensen (So., Rochester), and Budde took home the three singles victories in the second, fifth, and sixth spots, respectively.
Gustavus 3, No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 4 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties rounded out the trip heading back to Claremont for a doubleheader, falling in both matches to the third-ranked Stags. In match one, the Gusties took two of three doubles competitions, with Aney and Fouchier winning at No. 1 and Sourabh Terakanambi (Sr., Apple Valley) and Siviero in the No. 3 doubles. The Gusties put together two singles victories, but it wouldn’t be enough to take down the Stags, who came up with the tight 4-3 victory at home.
Gustavus 2, No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7 | BOX SCORE
The Stags ran away with match two, as Alex Budde would lead the Gusties to their only two points, winning in the singles (No. 5) 6-3 and 6-2, and defeating the No. 1 CMS doubles pair with partner Gage Gohl (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.).
“We’re thankful for the time on the road together, some outdoor tennis, great competition, and some good results. We’ll look to learn a lot from the week and to rest and recover as we prepare for some fun challenges in the coming weeks.”
The Gusties are back in the Midwest next weekend, heading up to St. Paul to take on Bethel on Saturday, as well as sending a squad to UW-Whitewater to face the No. 38 Warhawks.