SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 16 Gustavus men's tennis started the 2025 dual match season Saturday at the Swanson Tennis Center, falling to Division I Creighton University 6-1 before losing 4-3 against Morningside University.
Against Creighton, the Gusties got a win at No. 1 doubles as the tandem of
Gage Gohl and
Tyler Haddorff won 6-2, but the Bluejays earned the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. Creighton then captured straight-set singles victories as Nos. 1, 4, and 5. Gohl and
Taona Mhwandagara both battled to third sets at Nos. 2 and 6, respectively, but eventually lost.
Josh Christensen earned the lone singles victory for the Gusties at No. 3, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
"The guys got the season off to a good start today," said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. "Both groups faced high caliber competition and we competed very well. Against Creighton, we had great energy in the doubles. Gage and Tyler were fantastic at number one and we had some looks at both the two and three spots. Despite the 1-0 deficit, we made a great push in the singles and had three three-setters with Josh putting together a smart and gritty performance to get over the line at number three. We learned a lot from this one and we'll build on it in a number of ways."
In the second match of the day against Morningside, the Gusties rolled out an entirely different lineup from top to bottom. Morningside claimed the doubles point by winning all three matches.
Luke Fridinger and
Rafael de Camargo Costa played a tightly-contested match at No. 1, but eventually fell 7-6. In singles play,
Noah Hakim rolled to a quick 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 and
Tyler Haddorff followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2. Morningside then won in straight sets at Nos. 3, 5, and 6, before Fridinger battled for a 7-5, 7-6 win at No. 1.
"In the Morningside match, we fought beautifully to the end," said Valentini. "We came up just short in the doubles, but came out with a great effort in the singles. Luke and Tyler both executed their game plans beautifully at the first two spots to get us on the board, and we got a very mature performance from Noah at number four in his college dual match debut. Despite the score, we made great strides in this one. Our young guys grew a ton and we're grateful for the effort from our entire group all day long, and for a good start to the spring season."
Gustavus has next weekend off and then plays as a split squad at home and on the road. On Feb. 8, the Gusties host the University of North Dakota and travel to Concordia.
