McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- It took three extra days, but the No. 21 McPherson College men's tennis team finally kicked off its Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) slate Sunday evening with a 9-0 win over Southwestern College at the McPherson High School tennis courts.
The Bulldogs (2-3, 1-0 KCAC) swept doubles with
Joan-Marc Fajula Rodriguez (Catalonia, Spain) and
Hector Carrillo Perales (Barcelona, Spain, Bom Salvador) posting an 8-2 win over Javier Contreras and Braden Baker at the No. 1 spot. McPherson picked up 8-4 wins from
Ahmed Lahlou (Casablanca, Morocco, Groupe Scolaire Anfa) and
Nicolas Wahl at No. 2 and
Timo Hoelzmann (Berlin, Germany, Schadow Gymnasium) and
Juan Alejandro Jimenez (Pereira, Colombia, Liceotaller San Miguel) at No. 3.
The hosts also swept their way through singles play. Fajula, ranked 24th nationally and fifth in the Central Region, posted a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1 over Franco Poi, the No. 17 player in the Central Region. Lahlou, ranked 28th nationally, beat Contreras, 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot and Carrillo, ranked 46th nationally, topped Tomas Yacuzio, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3.
Wahl added a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4, Jimenez won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 and Hoelzmann closed out the match with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 6.
"The guys were ready to play today," said head coach
Dustin Wheeler. "They showed up, they held themselves accountable and they helped each other on every court. They played as a family and that's our goal every single match. When we don't play as a family, we struggle. We get hurt inside and that's when we don't play our best ball, so today we showed up, played as a family, played real well, and I think the 9-0 really shows it."
The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday with a KCAC match at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. First serve from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is slated for 3 p.m.
