The Westminster men's tennis team took third place after a full day of matches at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Tournament on Friday. The Westminster Blue Jays started the day with a 5-2 loss to Greenville College to force them to play a second match of the day. They swept Fontbonne University 5-0 in match two, landing them in the third place match. The Blue Jays closed out the day with a 5-2 win over Webster to take home third place.
Westminster vs. Greenville
The #3 Blue Jays and #2 Greenville started the match in doubles play. The number one doubles team, senior Nate Connell and freshman Peter Hasenmueller, pulled out a 9-8 win, but the number two and number three teams lost 8-4. Greenville needed just three more wins heading into singles play as they held the 2-1 advantage.
Junior Kyle Collins grabbed a three-set win for the Blue Jays in the number four spot. He lost the first set 2-6, but bounced back to win the next two, 6-4 and 6-3.
Freshman Adam Fuchs, Hasenmueller and senior Kody Renner each were unable to defeat their opponents, giving Greenville their needed three points to win 5-2.
Connell was winning his third set 2-1 before Greenville grabbed their fifth needed win to end the match. Scott Strough was also in a third set with his opponent when the match ended.
Westminster vs. Fontbonne
The Blue Jays wasted no time dwelling on the first match loss as they went on to sweep #5 Fontbonne, 5-0.
The Blue Jays easily swept Fontbonne in doubles play as Connell and Hasenmueller grabbed an 8-3 victory in the number one doubles spot. Collins and Strough finished in the two spot with a clean sweep, 8-0. Fuchs and sophomore Grant Peterson rounded out the doubles play in the three spot with a 8-1 victory.
Collins and Peterson grabbed the final two wins necessary to end the match. Collins and Peterson each kept their opponents from scoring a point in their 6-0 sweeps.
Fuchs, Hasenmueller, Strough and Renner were each winning in their respective spots when the match ended.
Westminster vs. Webster
After the 1-1 day, the Blue Jays entered into their third match versus #4 Webster to determine who brought home third place.
The Blue Jays held a 2-1 advantage over Webster after doubles play. Connell and Hasenmueller won their third win of the day in the number on spot with an 8-1 finish. Collins and Strough won in the two spot, 8-6.
Webster grabbed a second point with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Connell in the one spot, but the Blue Jays defeated the Webster Gorloks in the number two, three and four spots to end the match. Fuchs won with the scores 6-3 and 6-1. Hasenmueller allowed his opponent just one point in the match, winning 6-1 and 6-0. Collins had a rough start to his match in the four spot, but he bounced back from his 5-7 set one loss and won set two 6-3 and set three 6-1.
Strough was winning the third set at the time the match ended. Renner won the first set, but was behind in the second set when the match ended.
The Blue Jays close out the season with a 5-9 record and a third place finish in the SLIAC.
