ST. PAUL, Minn. – At long last, the University of Northwestern Men's Tennis team was able to play on campus in its 2024 home opener at Johnson Tennis Complex, doing so under sunny skies. A pair of non-conference matches (albeit one against a fellow UMAC member) awaited the Eagles, who wound up winning both, but in very different manners. Northwestern defeated Hamline University in a dramatic, 5-4 match before sweeping Martin Luther College, 9-0, in the nightcap.
Match One: Hamline University Pipers
The first match of the day pitted UNW against 10-5 Hamline University. The match produced fireworks from the very beginning. Northwestern's #1 doubles duo of
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) got up 2-1 early before dropping the next two points, finding themselves in a 2-3 hole. Morrell and Weddle won the next two points, but Hamline's #1 team was able to even the score at five apiece. The Eagles took over from there to earn an 8-5 win to kick things off. UNW's #2 doubles team of
Carson Haack (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) and
Darin Rupp (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) faced a similar situation in its match. Trailing 1-4 early, Haack and Rupp roared back to win 8-5 as well, albeit in even more dramatic fashion than their teammates. The #3 doubles team of
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Eli Henderson (Andover, Minn/Andover) kept its match close throughout but was never able to break through, losing 6-8. However, Northwestern's 2-1 lead entering singles play would prove to be important.
Morrell had no trouble at #1 singles, taking down his former high school teammate by a 6-0, 6-2 score. Weddle was terrific at #2 singles as well, overcoming an early 1-2 deficit in set one to win 6-3, 6-2, and give UNW a commanding 4-1 lead. Haack's #3 singles match was electric, but ultimately did not go the freshman's way. He battled back from a 1-4 deficit in set one to win 7-5, but fell 2-6 in set two. The tiebreak went back and forth until Haack's opponent was able to edge him out, 10-8.
Needing one more singles win to pick up a huge team victory,
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) rose to the occasion. The sophomore was in control of his #4 singles match from start to finish, taking it by a score of 6-3, 6-2. The last two matches were just a formality as far as the team scoring went, but still provided plenty of entertainment and drama. After
Caleb Jergenson (Livingston, Mont./Park) fell 0-6, 1-6 in the #6 spot, all eyes were on
Darin Rupp's (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) #5 singles match. Rupp and his opponent battled back and forth in set one, but it seemed as if Rupp was always kept at an arm's length. The senior ultimately tied the set at 6-6, forcing a tiebreak, but wasn't able to win it. Set two provided similar drama, but this time Rupp held the advantage for most of the set. Unfortunately, his final lead would be 4-3 before he ultimately lost the set 5-7, as well as the match. Alas, Northwestern prevailed by a 5-4 margin to improve to 13-6 on the season.
Match Two: Martin Luther College Knights
For all of the drama that the first match of the day provided, the second produced…considerably less. The Eagles hosted Martin Luther College in a non-conference matchup (the two will meet again in New Ulm later this month in a conference match).
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) and
Jacob Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) kicked things off with an 8-3 win at #1 doubles, which
Griffen Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Ben Schutz (Maplewood, Minn./Homeschool) followed up with an 8-4 win in the #2 spot.
Caleb Jergenson (Livingston, Mont./Park) and
Eli Henderson (Andover, Minn/Andover) matched the efforts of the #1 team, also winning 8-3 at #3 doubles to give Northwestern a 3-0 lead with singles matches ahead under the lights of the Johnson Tennis Complex.
Singles play produced even more dominance from the UNW men. Morrell, Weddle and Haack each earned 6-0, 6-0 sweeps at #1, #2 and #3 singles, respectively.
Darin Rupp (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) didn't struggle much either in the #4 spot, winning 6-0, 6-2. Jergenson's match was the closest of the evening, but the freshman was still able to come away with a 6-4, 6-3 win. Schutz took advantage of his opportunity at #5 singles, winning 6-2, 6-0. The 9-0 sweep was UNW's sixth of the season.
Up Next
A big Saturday awaits the Eagles, as they will host perennial UMAC power and two-time reigning champion UW-Superior at 11:00 AM before squaring off with Crown College in a non-conference match at 5:00 PM. Come on out and support the Eagles on what looks to be a picture-perfect Saturday in St. Paul!
