KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Coming into spring break, the UNW Men's Tennis team was looking to defend their narrow 5-4 victory against Trine from the year prior. The Eagles came out ready to play and secured their second consecutive 5-4 win against the strong Thunder squad on Tuesday.
The match started off with a bang. Senior captain
Jack Geurkink (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) and graduate
Davis Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) showed their veteran skill when they took a quick 3-0 lead over the Thunder and went on to win 8-1 at #1 doubles. #2 doubles soon followed, with
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) starting out a dominant night with an 8-5 win.
A close loss at #3 doubles brought the team score to 2-1.
This didn't stop freshman
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) from playing an electric #5 singles match. Jarchow took an early lead in the first set, but ultimately fell 4-6. He quickly turned it around however to win the second set 6-2. Jarchow continued his hot streak, going up in the tiebreak 9-3. But Trine's Drew Dixon was not going down without a fight. He battled back to an even 9-9 score. The freshman proved the moment was not too big and powered through to an 11-9 win.
A few courts away, Stew Morrell was in a battle of his own at #1 singles. After dropping a tough first set, he turned the dial and captured a 6-3 win in the second. Morrell described the third set as a "seesaw battle" that led to an 8-7 lead for the junior. Taking the next point with a "booming forehand winner", Morrell was now in the position to secure the win. He spared no detail in describing the final point, saying it was "like a sleepy-seeming lion suddenly thrusting out a lightning paw" to finish the tiebreak with a 10-7 score.
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) finished out the night for the Eagles at #2 singles. The sophomore showed true resilience after losing his first set. Keeping his composure, Weddle secured a close second set 7-5. Knowing the match was on the line, he stayed cool heading into his third set tiebreaker. Proving he belongs in the #2 singles spot; Weddle played an exciting tiebreak to ultimately win the match for the Eagles.
The UNW Men's tennis team has two matches left in their spring break schedule, both on Thursday, March 9 with the first against the Ursinus College Bears in the morning and then the second against the Saint Vincent College Bearcats in the evening.
