ST. PAUL, Minn. – University of Northwestern Men's Tennis hosted Bethany Lutheran College on Monday night at the Johnson Tennis Complex for their final conference match of the season. The Eagles won 8-1 over the Vikings to punch their ticket to the UMAC Tournament this weekend, finishing the season with an 8-2 record in the conference.
Prior to the match, UNW celebrated Senior Night. Eagle seniors
Jack Geurkink (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) and
Collin Hemann (Newton, Iowa/Newton) were each recognized as they compete in their final seasons for Northwestern.
In doubles, the Eagles started strong as
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) swept the #2 match 8-0. The Vikings then tied the match up at 1-1 with an 8-1 victory at #1 doubles. Hemann and
Darin Rupp (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) then broke the tie for UNW with an 8-1 victory at #3 doubles to give Northwestern a 2-1 lead entering singles play.
Davis Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) doubled the Eagles' lead with a 6-0, 6-1 win at #3 singles. Morrell proceeded to earn the fourth team point for Northwestern with a 6-3, 6-1 win at #1 singles. Weddle clinched both the match and a conference playoff berth for UNW with a 6-1, 6-4 victory at #2 singles.
With the match clinched 5-1, the Eagles went on to sweep the remaining matches. Geurkink won #4 singles 6-1, 6-2.
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) had a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in #5 singles.
Andy Stevenson (Fridley, Minn./Fridley) took his #6 singles match 6-0, 6-2.
Up next, Northwestern will begin postseason play in the UMAC Tournament. First up is a semifinal match against Southern Division champion Greenville University on Friday, April 28 starting at 4:00pm in the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus.
