Hot Start for the Scots!
Maryville College's men's tennis team had a dominant victory in their season opener against Ohio Wesleyan University. This was the first college match for Steven Fitzsimmons, Grant Price, Benjamin Schneider, and Eric Vornhagen, yet the Scots stayed composed to steamroll through to take the win.
"I'm really encouraged," Head Coach Doug Corbett said. "[It was] super impressive and exciting, with a lot of players playing their first match."
Doubles was the most contested point for the Scots. After the Scots fell at #1 doubles, Price and Field Myatt took their doubles match 6-3 to even the score at one apiece. At #3 doubles, Schneider and Jackson Meyer took a commanding win at 6-3. Singles followed the tone set by doubles: tenacious play in an energized environment.
Price was quick to put a second point on the board for the Scots, blitzing to a 6-3 6-1 win at #2 singles. Fitzsimmons followed suit, winning a competitive match 6-4 7-5 at #3 singles. To clinch the match, James Smith took a tightly contested first set and ran away with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 win at #1 singles. Schneider roared back from an 0-4 deficit in the first set and an 0-3 deficit in the second set to win his first ever collegiate singles match 6-4 6-4 in the #4 slot, and Vornhagen dominated from start to finish, grabbing the #6 position 6-0 6-2. To wrap up the day, Jonathan Crane steadily broke down his opponent to claim victory 6-3 6-2 at #5 singles.
"To not drop a set in singles against a solid team with several of our guys playing their 1st college match was a very impressive effort!" Corbett said. "The guys played steady for a first match across the board both mentally and physically. Looking forward to taking this momentum into a tough challenge against Centre tomorrow afternoon."
Maryville tennis heads to Kentucky to play against Centre College in a Valentine's Day match. It will be their first time facing off against each other.
Women's Tennis Shows Grit in Season Opener
Maryville College's women's tennis team competed in their season opener against Ohio Wesleyan University. This was the first collegiate match for Maggie Hackney, Clara Plass, and Mckena Spencer, and despite some great efforts in both doubles and singles, Maryville dropped the match.
Doubles had some very competitive sets with a positive environment. #3 doubles team Hackney and Josie Mcrae had a competitive set, falling 4-6, and #1 doubles team Spencer and Calliana Kondolios had an entertaining comeback from down 2-5 to tie the set at 6-6 to send it to a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, the Scots lost that set 6-7 (3-7).
Singles also had gritty matches with many positive takeaways. Spencer again came back from down 2-5 in her first set of singles to even the score, but dropped the match 5-7 2-6 at the #1 position. Plass also had an incredibly tight match, with her opponent squeezing out a win, resulting in a 4-6 6-7 loss for Maryville.
"I was happy with the effort and improvement from the Fall even though we didn't get the results we were looking for," Corbett said. "Just need to learn especially with our young team, have a positive outlook and build on the positives that did take place. These matches against good competition will make us stronger later in the season."
Maryville tennis heads to Kentucky to play against Centre College in a Valentines Day match. It will be their first time facing off against each other.
