CLAREMONT, Calif. and SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 12 Gustavus men's tennis wrapped up play at the Stag-Hen Invite on Saturday with a 6-1 victory over No. 26 Pomona-Pitzer. The Gusties also shut out Concordia 9-0 at home, improving to 11-5 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC.
The Gusties set the tone early with a clean sweep in doubles to earn the first point. Playing at No. 2 doubles for the first time this season,
Marco Siviero and
Josh Christensen earned a 6-2 victory, followed by a 7-5 win at No. 3 by
Caleb Fridinger and
Dominik Knutson.
Gage Gohl and
Tyler Haddorff sealed the sweep with a 7-6 tiebreaker win at the top spot.
Siviero and
Jack Bergmeyer won in straight sets at Nos. 1 and 6, respectively, followed by Christensen winning 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 at No. 2. Gohl and Knutson both erased first set losses, coming out on top 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 at No. 3, and 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5, respectively.
"We welcomed the challenge nicely today," Head Coach
Tommy Valentini said. "We always know Pomona-Pitzer is tough, especially at home. We settled in during the doubles and got to our game as each match progressed. After Marco and Josh got us on the board, Caleb and Dom really played a great back end of their set to secure the point. Gage and Tyler were poised in their tiebreak to come through against a top quality opponent. In the singles we stuck to our approach at a high level today. Everyone embraced the moment and competed with grit. We're thankful for a good team win, and for the progress we were able to make at this great event. We'll look to get rested and to keep growing in the coming week."
Playing as a split squad, Gustavus handed Concordia a 9-0 win at the Swanson Tennis Center.
Taona Mhwandagara,
Luke Fridinger, Oscar Wilkstrom,
Geoffrey Youngs,
Ali Derbani, and
Odin Fouchier all won their singles matches in straight sets while the Gusties didn't concede more than three points in any of the three doubles matches.
"The team in St. Peter played an energetic, well-rounded, and confident tennis match from start to finish today," Assistant Coach
Patrick Clark said. "Concordia is an improving and competitive team that works hard. Our guys handled the challenges presented well. Our guys had set some goals before the match and executed them incredibly well. They should be proud of their effort this weekend and continue to build on it moving forward."
Gustavus returns to California March 25-29 for six matches over spring break.
