Principia Defeats Eutectics in Illinois
The Eutectic men's and women's tennis teams opened the 2023 season on Saturday, travelling to Elsah, Ill., to take on Principia College for an indoor matchup.
The Principia program finished the day with two home victories over the Euts, shutting out the UHSP men's team 9-0 and dropping only one court to the Eutectics in the women's competition for an 8-1 win.
The men's teams faced each other last September at a scorching outdoor match in St. Louis with the Principia Panthers coming out on top 5-4. In the September match, as well as Saturday, the Eutectic team was playing a man short, so would forfeit two points (No. 3 Doubles and No. 6 Singles) before the match even started.
In doubles, the Eutectic duos of Alvaro Montijano (SR/Sevilla, Spain)/James Bamberger (SR/St. Peters, Mo.) and Gavin Brown (SO/Branson, Mo.)/Caden Hillman (SO/Springfield, Mo.) each faced different opponents than last fall. Montijano and Bamberger won three games at Court 1, but lost the pro-set to Juan Segovia and Kuda Sandi, 8-3. Hillman and Brown put up a good fight at Court 2, winning five games, but ultimately lost to William Johnson and Jesus Soto, 8-5, to send the UHSP team into singles down 4-0. The Panthers swept the singles courts as well. The closest match wasat Court 2 with Caden Hillman and Kuda Sandi splitting sets before Sandi won the third-set tie break in extra points at 12-10. After losing the first set 6-1, Gavin Brown pushed Rafter Sprague to 10 games in the second set on Court 3, ultimately falling 6-1, 6-4.
The Eutectic women were also playing light, defaulting Court 3 doubles and Courts 5 and 6 singles and playing the Principia team for the first time this year. But, the UHSP Court 1 doubles team of Erin Davis and Angela Meaurio Martin found success against opponents BissolaLassissi and Veronica Volkhart, winning 8-5. With a loss at Court 2 doubles, the Euts would head into singles play down 4-1. The Panthers dominated the four active singles courts, with each Principia player allowing no more than two games per set to win the overall match at 8-1.
The UHSP men's (1-2) and women's (0-2) teams will compete again in two weeks when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to play Evangel University on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 12 p.m. at the Cooper Tennis Complex.