(photo via ACU Sports)
This weekend the men’s tennis team had the opportunity to play their first matches in Abilene Friday against no. 3 ranked Tyler Junior College and the no. 8 ranked Div. III team of Trinity University. The men also traveled to Lubbock on Saturday to face no. 14 ranked Texas Tech.
The team’s scores for the Wildcats were a 4-3 loss against against Tyler, a 6-1 victory over Trinity, and a 7-0 loss to Texas Tech. The next matches for the men will be Friday, February 12th here at ACU against the University of Missouri-Kansas starting at 12 p.m.
In singles matches, the Wildcats were impressive as they were able to take three wins out of six away from a very tough Tyler Junior College and a sweep of six matches against Trinity University. Though they didn’t come away with a victory against the Red Raiders, they had three singles matches where they pulled out a convincing set victory.
Freshman Josh Sheehy, senior Jason Proctor, and sophomore Paul Domanski all played well for the Wildcats. Sheehy had yet another impressive weekend beating Ferran Calvo, the no. 1 ranked junior college player in the nation, 1-6,7-6,7-6. He also beat Adam Krull, who was the no. 13 ranked Div. III player, 6-1, 6-1 and was one of the three to win a set against a Texas Tech opponent.
“Against Tech, we fought for every match and almost came off with a few of them and we just have to continue to learn to play at that level,” Sheehy said. “There’s a reason they’re ranked so high right now and they proved it.”
Proctor was impressive as well, beating the no. 5 junior college player Ryan Brough, 4-6, 7-6, 10-4, he also beat Wilson Lambeth from Trinity, 6-1, 6-4. Domanski beat Phillip Franken from Tyler JC 6-4, 6-4, and also won against Kevin Lee from Trinity 6-1, 6-1.
“Even though the first two teams we played may not have been Div. I, we knew they were going to be solid, tough teams,” Sheehy said. “It was amazing to have the home crowd behind us and boost us with the extra confidence. Every competitive match makes us a better team and better players individually because we just keep gaining experience.”
In doubles, the men couldn’t come away with a victory and had one unfinished match against Tyler and Trinity. The Wildcats were swept by Texas Tech three to none as well. Sophomore Henry Adams and Proctor were the most impressive as they led in both matches before it came to an abrupt end. They were leading their opponents from Tyler 5-2 and their opponents from Trinity 6-5.
“It was awesome playing at home this weekend, we had a very supportive crowd and that always makes such a big difference,” freshman Cole Lawson said. ‘Tyler has a really strong team and we fought our hardest but didn’t come out on top, but we bounced back and beat Trinity 6-1 with an even bigger crowd, and that was a big deal because they beat us last year.”
