Colorado Mesa University’s men’s tennis team played in their Maverick Duals tournament this past weekend, and swept Colorado Christian University 9-0, but lost 5-4 to MSU Denver. Against CCU, the Mavericks captured their first win of the season, getting a decision in all three of their doubles matches, while nabbing 6 victories in singles competition.
The men were looking to use the weekend to enhance their game and get some key victories against tough competition. Any wins in the fall can give the team confidence and get them ready for the spring season.
“We’re just trying to find our games and pull some wins out against teams we’ll be competing against in the spring. These wins just give us some confidence for the spring,” Mitchell Steadman said.
Steadman and the rest of the team were able to get those key wins, as Lucas Martin and Daniel Ness earned a 9-7 decision in doubles competition. Steadman and Lennon Braaten followed them with an 8-6 win of their own. Oliver Lindqvist and William Agritelley breezed by in their doubles match, escaping with a commanding 8-3 win.
In the singles matches, the team won every match in straight sets. Agritelley defeated Nic Hoime 6-2, 6-0. Steadman came out with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Mitch Swim. Sam Hoelscher closed out singles competition with a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Tyler Bergman.
“It felt great. We did some good work against CCU. Right now, we’ve clinched, so it gives all our other players some confidence to play their games and improve on their skills for the spring,” Steadman said.
The team played MSU Denver tough, but found trouble in singles competition, losing 4 of 6 matches. Lucas Martin and Alan De La Bastide were the only victors in singles competition. The team took 2 of 3 in doubles competition. Martin and Bastide captured a decision in doubles, 8-4, while Max Lindqvist and Nick Farman won their match 9-8 (7-4).
The team is looking to use their experience in the tournament as a tool to gear up for the spring season.
“We just have to compete a little harder, keep bringing fire, bring a lot of energy, and really get the momentum going from the start,” Agritelley said.
The women’s team found success early on at Maverick Duals against CCU, capturing a 7-2 win. The team was unable to replicate that success against MSU Denver, getting swept 9-0.
The women captured 5 of 6 singles matches in straight sets, and earned 2 of 3 decisions in doubles competition. In singles, Taylor Hershey defeated Taylor Westrom 6-1, 6-2. Carolena Campos dominated her match, defeating Sarah Jane Scott 6-0, 6-2. Kristen Kirby and Emily Beckley both won their singles matches 6-3, 6-1 against Paige Crews and Maddie Anderson.
Their singles success transferred over into their doubles matches. Kirby and Beckley teamed up to earn an 8-3 win in doubles. Hershey and Rebecca Osterberg captured the other win in doubles for the team, winning by a final score of 8-2.
The women had a more difficult time against MSU Denver, losing all 6 singles matches and 3 doubles matches. 3 of the singles matches went past 2 sets, demonstrating the ladies didn’t go down without a fight. The loss against MSU moves their record to 3-4.
