Lindsborg, Kan.— The University of Saint Mary men's tennis team made program history this afternoon, defeating McPherson College 4-1 in a postseason match up in Lindsborg, Kansas to secure the first national meet berth in program history.
USM built its edge in doubles, where the pair of
Nils Dueppe and
Nudem Koyuncu earned a 6-3 win at No. 1 and
Korbin Priestley and
Evan Maritz matched that score with a 6-3 victory at No. 2. The No. 3 doubles match featuring
Mateo Dargel Argote and
Carlos Grimaldi was left incomplete at 4-5, but the Spires had already taken control with the two completed doubles wins.
In singles, the Spires collected three decisive points to finish the match.
Carlos Grimaldi won at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 7-5,
Nudem Koyuncu added a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 5, and
Mateo Dargel Argote closed out a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6. Those performances gave USM three singles victories, while two other singles contests were left unfinished as USM had already clenched.
The Bulldogs only point came at No. 4 singles, where Wyatt defeated
Korbin Priestley 6-2, 6-1. The other unfinished matches came at the top of the lineup, with Dueppe trailing Nardy after a first-set tiebreak, and Maritz locked in an incomplete three-set match at No. 3 singles.
The team totals reflected Saint Mary's balanced afternoon. The Spires finished with two doubles wins, three singles wins and no completed doubles losses in the 4-1 result. Just as important, the lineup got contributions across the card, from the early doubles push by Dueppe, Koyuncu, Priestley and Maritz to the straight-set singles wins from Grimaldi, Koyuncu and Dargel Argote.
For the Spires, the result was larger than a single postseason win. USM not only defeated McPherson, they pushed the program into new territory, reaching the national meet for the first time and breaking through a quarterfinal barrier that had previously held the team back. USM will now compete at the 74
th Annual Men's Tennis National Championships at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama on May 12th through the 16th.
