Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WINONA, Minn. - The University of Northwestern Men's Tennis team's 2024 season commenced on Saturday afternoon, with the Eagles playing a pair of non-conference foes. Northwestern started off the day with a convincing, 7-2 win over Loras College before taking down the host of the event, Saint Mary's University, 6-3.

Match One: Loras College Duhawks

The Eagles raced out to a 3-0 lead after the conclusion of doubles matches to give themselves a nice cushion for the remainder of the opening contest. Carson Haack (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) and Darin Rupp (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) got UNW on the board with an 8-3 win in #2 doubles to open things up. Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and Ben Schutz (Maplewood, Minn./Homeschool) followed suit with an 8-1 drubbing in #3 doubles, and Northwestern's #1 doubles team of Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) completed the doubles sweep with an 8-4 decision.

Northwestern was able to shut the door on the Duhawks without giving them much hope. Morrell won the #1 singles match, 6-4, 6-2, while Weddle survived a scare to win in #2 singles, 7-5, 5-7, 11-9 (tiebreak). Haack clinched the win for the Eagles with a tremendous effort in his first career singles match, winning 6-0, 6-1. Northwestern also got a big win from Rupp in #5 singles, as the senior took down his opponent, 6-1, 6-1 and gave UNW a 7-2 win to open its season.

Match Two: Saint Mary's University Cardinals

Northwestern's second match of the day began much like its first, as UNW won all three doubles matches to again take a 3-0 edge into singles. Haack and Rupp continued to shine, winning the #2 doubles match by an 8-1 margin. Morrell and Weddle won in #1 doubles, 8-3, while Jarchow and Schutz earned an 8-2 victory in the #3 match.

Weddle kicked off singles with a 6-2, 6-3 win to make UNW's lead 4-0 before Saint Mary's made things interesting by winning the #3, #5 and #6 matches. Jarchow saved the day, however, storming back to win his #4 singles match, 1-6, 6-4, 10-7 (tiebreak). Morrell capped off the day with a 7-6, 6-0 win at #1 singles to give the Eagles a 6-3 win and put the exclamation point on a 2-0 day in Winona.

Next up for Matt Swigart's crew will be a dual with Concordia College on Saturday, February 10th in Fargo.