By Jacob Norling
March 19, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Men's Tennis took an early lead against the MSU Denver Roadrunners on Tuesday, but could not keep with the road club when the page turned to singles. As tensions rose and the match wore on, MSUD was able to pull away with a 5-2 win.
 
An electric doubles point would first go on to be decided in dramatic fashion. On court three, the Roadrunners appeared to be cruising to a quick win, as Reid Rainwater and Alessandro Munoz led 4-1 over Goor Adiv and Michael Hopkins. On one and two, a pair of tight matches were going down to the wire, with MSUD striking first with a 6-3 win on two.
 
On one, Ethan Ha and Austin Stone were able to prevail, when the Warriors outlasted Juho Kantola and Marco Jalalian 7-5 to draw even.
 
Over on three, a match result that seemed inevitable continued to drag on, with Adiv and Hopkins winning four of the next five games to even things at 5-5. A ton of momentum swung Westmont's way moments later, when the Warriors pulled off a break on a deuce point to go up 6-5. Then, with Adiv serving, the Warriors were able to successfully hold, stealing the doubles point with a 7-5 win on court three.
 
In singles, however, Westmont would not be so fortunate. The Warriors lone win came on one, where Austin Stone defeated Alejandro Jimenez 6-4, 6-3. Unfortunately for Westmont, however, the club was unable to snag a single set elsewhere.
 
Making matters worse was the turn the match took in its final stretch, with the Roadrunner's taking their actions to a point where several code violations were called on the road team. While the official on hand did his best to keep the situation at bay, eventually, an inactive Roadrunner was ejected from the match.
 
After the match, the Warriors were left with another bittersweet feeling of having been drained both physically and emotionally, with a moment-shifting win still out of reach.
 
"The tennis had some great moments," began Westmont head coach Chris Elwood. "Sealing the doubles point against a solid MSU Denver squad was great. We've been struggling to perform at number three, but it was great for us to get a win there today."
 
Elwood continued, "We played a very tense, very verbal opponent today, and it felt more like a jungle-yard experience at points. On a positive note, however, I think that kind of thing can prepare us for matches that are played at a high intensity.
 
"We need to be prepared to play in front of these types of crowds, so that we don't back away from that intense moment. I hope this helps us come out stronger tomorrow."
 
The Warriors return to action on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. with another key match against Colorado Mesa.