March 8, 2017

The UW-Whitewater men’s tennis team split a pair of matches in St. Peter, Minnesota March 4. The No. 17 ranked Warhawks pushed their overall record to 6-4 on the season.  The Warhawks lost their first match by a score of 8-1 to No. 23 ranked Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota). This loss marks the first loss to fellow Division-III opponent this season for the Warhawks.

The team put in a good effort and good fight against another ranked team, but ultimately the young Warhawks struggled with the savvy veterans and couldn’t quite keep up on the scoreboard. The loss will hurt the Warhawks record but the experience against top competition in the country can only help the team in the long run.

Juniors Matt Zurowski and Zane Navratil supplied the lone point for the Warhawks against Gustavus with an 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.

Zurowski and sophomore Rory Calabria each dropped very close singles matches against the Gusties. Zurowski fell by scores of 6-4, 7-5 while Calabria won one game in the set before ultimately falling by scores of 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (10-4).

Junior Grant Thompson lost by a score of 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 1 spot in singles. Sophomores Brandan Dechter and Jimmy Engelhart and Navratil also suffered defeats in the number 5, 3 and 2 spots respectively. In doubles, Thompson and Engelhart lost by a score of 8-4, and freshman Zach Wood and Calabria lost their match 8-3.

“We knew it would be a tough one,” head coach Frank Barnes said. “They are a veteran team.”

The Warhawks rebounded well in the second match of the day against Macalester College (Minnesota). The Warhawks started out sweeping all three doubles matches.

In the No. 1 position, Calabria and Wood claimed an 8-4 victory. Zurowski and Dechter also took an 8-4 victory in the No. 2 spot. Engelhart and freshmen Lucas Monterroso earned a 9-8 victory to complete the doubles sweep.

Monterroso also earned a singles victory with scores of 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot.

Freshman Brad Conard also came through with a 6-4, 6-4 win at the No. 6 spot.  At the No. 3 spot, Wood tallied a 7-5, 6-2 victory to put up the final tally of the day for the Warhawks.

“I’m happy with the effort,” Coach Barnes said. “We did a great job fighting.”

The win was good way to cap off the day of ups and downs for the young team as they continue to show good effort and steady improvement as the season continues. The Warhawks were able to get several younger players involved for the second match of the day and get them valuable playing time while still winning the match relatively easily. 

Effort was not a problem all day and the team continues to make improvements from match to match. Despite splitting their matches, overall the weekend was a good step forward for the young team as they go move ahead in their season.  

The Warhawks season continues on March 10 when the team hosts Carthage College at Premier Tennis and Fitness in Janesville.