FARGO, N.D. - The University of Northwestern Men's Tennis team traveled up to face the Concordia College Cobbers on Saturday. After being 2-0 after the first weekend of match play, it incentivized them to continue the win streak. Saturday, they did just that.
The Eagles started off the afternoon with a 2-1 doubles advantage.
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Ben Schutz (Maplewood, Minn./Homeschool), playing at third doubles, were the first to leave the court. They ultimately fell short in a hard-fought battle, concluding with a score of 5-8. The dynamic duo of
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) proved resilient as they finished off an impressive tiebreaker, winning their match 8-7 (7-3). They put an exclamation point on their win, celebrating with their iconic chest bump.
Darin Rupp (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) and
Carson Haack (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) victoriously followed suit. They, too, won in a nail-biting contest at second doubles, finishing with a score of 8-7 (7-2).
The Eagles continued scoring as Morrell came out firing in a massive 6-0, 6-0 win at 1
st singles. At the second singles spot, Weddle was eager to chase Morrell's win. In doing so, he bounded to a 6-1, 6-4 victory. After these matches concluded, Concordia started their comeback. Haack was hoping to follow his predecessors in their triumph. He was unable to overpower his opponent and ultimately lost, 2-6, 4-6. Jarchow had a similar story at the fourth singles spot, as he too fell to his opponent, 3-6, 3-6.
The Eagles were now leading 4-3 with Rupp and Schutz still battling, hoping at least one match would prevail. This moment was when the senior, Rupp, stepped into the spotlight. Getting about as close as two sets can get, Rupp was competing with his heart and soul. After taking the first set 7-5, the second proved just as difficult. Rupp and his opponent combatted each other's aggressive gameplay which led to a second-set tiebreaker. With the team's win in sight, Rupp ran away with a confident and decisive tiebreak win at 7-0, never looking back. Having the match clinched, Schutz fought well but came up short in a 3-6, 5-7 loss at sixth singles.
The Northwestern Men's tennis team is hoping to continue its win streak as it looks ahead to playing Edgewood College and Buena Vista University in Madison, Wisconsin next weekend.
