THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A day after the season opener was cancelled due to rain, the Cal Lutheran men's tennis team got to compete for the first time. In the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opening match of the spring, CLU and Whittier battled through all nine matches with the host Kingsmen topping the Poets 5-4 in an exciting finish.

Trailing 3-0 after doubles action, the Kingsmen chipped away and slowly tied the overall match up at 4-4, forcing sophomore Dara Kashani to play a full third set at No. 2. Despite cramping, the sophomore continued to battle, earning the individual win (6-7, 7-6, 6-1) and clinching the team victory in the process. It was also the first official dual match appearance for Kashani who competed only once, at the Ojai Tournament, in 2015 for the Kingsmen.

Before the second court singles heroics as a clear sunny day turned into a dark cool evening, Jesper Lunding-Johansson earned the first point of the day for CLU as his opponent retired with the junior leading 6-4, 5-1. The second Cal Lutheran point came by way of a Lucas Tilly 6-4, 6-2 win over Emilio Year at court No. 6. Senior Gio Valdez got the Violet and Gold closer to the Purple and Gold with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Andrew You playing as the No. 1 singles player for Cal Lutheran. The tying point came from freshman Mike Sulahian who used a three-set, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win during his collegiate debut to put Kashani in a position to close it out for the home squad.

Whittier (1-1, 0-1 SCIAC) is guided by CLU alum ('05) and former Kingsmen assistant coach Quinn Caldaron for the first time in 2016.

Cal Lutheran (1-0, 1-0) will be back on the courts next Thursday, Feb. 25 to host Washington & Lee at 2:00 p.m. in a non-conference contest.

Box Score: CLU 5, WC 4
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