The Monmouth College men's tennis team split matches on Sunday in Iowa with a 4-3 win over Buena Vista and a 7-0 loss to Simpson College.
In their second match of the season, the Scots earned a win against Buena Vista. Monmouth won the doubles point with victories in the final two matches.
Macaden Sepich (Mackinaw, Illinois) and
Cadan De Jong (Freeport, Illinois) won 6-3 at No. 2 doubles while
Alfonso Mares (Oak Lawn, Illinois) and
Ashur Carthan (Homewood, Illinois) won 6-1 at No. 3 doubles
Matthew Savage (Washington, Illinois) and
Antonio Perez (St. George, Utah) lost 6-4 at No. 1.
Savage won at No, 1 singles as he took the first set 7-6 (4) before his opponent withdrew with an injury. Perez won 6-2, 0-6, 10-6 at No. 2 and Sepich lost 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3. De Jong clinched the match for the Scots with a comeback 4-6, 7-6 (4), 10-3 win at No. 4 singles. Mares lost 6-0, 7-5 at No. 5 and Carhan lost 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6.
"This was a fantastic and consistent effort today," said head coach
Brian Dahlstrom. "Getting the doubles point was huge and then we were mentally tough in the final singles matches on the court (Perez and De Jong) to win those 10-point tiebreakers."
In the afternoon match at Simpson, the Scots fell 7-0 with some close singles matches. Savage lost in a tiebreaker 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 at No. 1 and Sepich also forced a tiebreak before losing 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 at No. 3. De Jong again went to a third-set tiebreak at No 4. Singles with a 7-6 (4), 1-6, 12-10 loss. Perez fell 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2, Mares lost 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 and Carthan lost 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6.
The doubles point went to Simpson as they beat Savage/Perez 6-0 at No. 1 and Mares/Carthan 6-1 at No. 3. Monmouth got a win from Sepich/De Jong at No. 2 doubles 6-3.
""We were close in several singles matches and the toughness showed today in our second match of the day in the heat," said Dahlstrom. "The players can recognize they are improving and figuring out when to grind and when to go for it."
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Sepich and De Jong went 2-0 in doubles…De Jong and Perez both won their first career singles matches…Savage won his first match at No. 1 after mostly playing at No. 2 last season…Mares and Carthan won their first doubles match …The men host Edgewood on Friday, October 3.
