THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran men's tennis team came out strong by securing the doubles point, but could not carry that momentum into singles play as it fell 5-2 to Whitworth University on Tuesday afternoon at the Poulson Tennis Center.
The Kingsmen delivered an impressive start to the match, claiming two of three doubles courts to take an early 1-0 lead.
Mateo Sonaglia and
Toki Adachi handled business at No. 3 with a 6-2 win before the duo of
Ethan Sherwood and
Maxence Faniel battled to a 7-5 tiebreak victory at the top spot to clinch the point.
Whitworth responded in singles, however, taking control across the lineup. The Pirates secured straight-set wins at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 to quickly swing the momentum in their favor. Cal Lutheran's lone singles victory came from Adachi at No. 3, who turned in a dominant 6-2, 6-2 performance to account for the Kingsmen's second point of the match.
Several courts proved competitive, including a hard-fought three-set battle at No. 4 where Faniel pushed deep into a deciding set, and a marathon match by
Carlo Drewelow at No. 5 that featured multiple tiebreaks, but Whitworth ultimately prevailed in both to seal the team victory.
The Kingsmen will look to bounce back on Thursday, March 26, when they return to the Poulson Tennis Center to host Colby College at 3 p.m.
