Notables
-CSS had been 0-7 all-time against the Eagles
-Saints improve to 7-1 in duals decided by 5-4 scores
-Engelstad is now 14-0 in singles action this spring
-CSS has won eight straight matches
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – For the first time in program history, the St. Scholastica men's tennis team defeated the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sunday at the Lifetime Fitness, once again pulling out a tight 5-4 match.
Doubles
The Eagles (12-5) took the first doubles match at the No. 3 spot, but the No. 2 team of
Ernesto Telles (El Salvador/Academia Britanica Cuscatleca) and
Brendan Boudreau (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate) won 8-4 to even the match.
The No. 1 team of
Serhii Tykhonenko (Kiev, Ukraine/Lyceum #100 “Podil”) and
Logan Engelstad (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS) was in a barn burner coming back to force a tiebreaker. The team carried that momentum into the tiebreaker to win the match 9-8 (7-1) to give the Saints a 2-1 lead heading into singles play.
Singles
La Crosse won the first three singles matches to finish, including winning in a super-breaker at the No. 2 spot and handing Telles his first singles loss of the spring season.
With the Eagles needing only one more win to take the dual, Tykhonenko won his match in straight sets at the No. 1 spot 6-2, 6-0. Engelstad followed with another straight sets victory at the No. 4 spot 6-2, 6-3 to even the dual at 4-4.
It came down to Boudreau at the No. 3 spot and he, as well, came out on top in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to give the Saints the 5-4 victory.
Up Next
The Saints (13-1) will have their final home match of the season next Saturday when they face Bethany Lutheran College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play at the Arrowhead Tennis Center.
