The Oglethorpe men's tennis team had a tough day on their spring break trip to central Florida Tuesday, falling 6-3 in a morning match to Ursinus in Kissimmee before falling in a difficult evening match to Wheaton (Illinois), 7-2, in Orlando. The results dropped the Stormy Petrels to 3-6 on the season.
In the morning match against Ursinus, the Petrels took down one of the three doubles matches, putting them behind 2-1 headed to the singles portion of the match. Freshman Zoe Raymond and sophomore Michael Santaloci defeated their opponents 8-5 at No. 2, but sophomores Richard Johnson and Michael Allen fell 8-5 at No. 1 while freshman Dustin Bowie and sophomore Jacob Bertram dropped their No. 3 match by the score of 8-2.
Junior Matthew Magee tied things up with a 6-1, 6-0 victory in the No. 5 match, while Bowie won a tough battle at No. 2, 6-4, 6-4. However, Ursinus was able to win the remaining four contests. Johnson fell 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1, while Raymond had to retire due to injury while ahead 7-6, 2-0 at No. 3. Santaloci and Allen both fought hard at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively, but Santaloci fell 6-1, 6-4 and Allen lost 7-5, 6-3.
In the nightcap, the Petrels found themselves going against a tough, regionally-ranked Wheaton team. They took one of the three doubles matches, as Santaloci and Raymond took out the Thunder's No. 2 team 8-6, despite being down 6-1 earlier in the match. However, Johnson and Allen fell 8-2 at No. 1 and Bowie and Bertram were defeated 8-4 at No. 3.
As the match went into the singles portion, Magee again defeated his opponent in a tough No. 5 match, dropping him 6-3, 7-6. However, Wheaton took the remainder of the night's matches. Bowie lost 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1, Johnson did likewise 6-3, 6-0 at No. 2, Raymond fell 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3, Santaloci, dropped his No. 4 match 7-6, 6-4, despite a valiant effort, and freshman John Lieng fell 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6.
"I thought we gave a much-improved effort in this evening's match against Wheaton," said Oglethorpe head coach Peter Howell. "Despite the score, we played well and battled hard against a strong opponent. I was very pleased with the effort and quality of play in that match. This is something to build on, I think, as we head back home and continue our season."
The Petrels' stay in central Florida comes to a close, and they'll return home to Atlanta to take on Texas-Dallas on Sunday at 10 a.m. from the Downing Howell Courts.
