Tuesday’s Crossroads League tennis matches at Spring Arbor University’s Jones Tennis Complex belonged to the SAU men and women, as the Goshen College women went down in a 9-0 sweep, while the men gave the Cougars a scare in a close 5-4 match.
The Maple Leafs got strong plays from Kendra Lozano and Chloe Woodward, both sophomores, at no. 2 doubles. Lozano and Woodward stayed competitive throughout, but were overmatched late, eventually falling in an 8-6 loss.In singles action, Noemi Salvador, a senior, claimed three games in both sets at the no. 1 position finishing in a 6-3, 6-3 loss. Lozano also showed signs of life in her singles match, but was defeated 6-3, 6-1 at the no. 3 position.
Switching to the men’s side, SAU used a sweep in doubles action to seal the contest at 5-4. Kartikeya Sharma, a junior, and Juan Miguel Ciudad, a first-year, posted straight set wins while Eric Zuercher, a sophomore, came back from a 6-4 defeat in the first set to claim a win at the no. 2 position. Eric Cender, a senior, rounded out the scoring at the no. 5 position with a win by retirement.
With a match result down to the last match, GC’s Evan Beck, a first-year, fell just short at the no. 6 position in a 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 nail-biter.
The loss dropped the men’s record to 5-4, and a three-way tie for fifth place at 3-3 in Crossroads League action. The women’s record sits at 0-8 and 0-6 in conference play.
The Maple Leafs men and women continue their regular season by traveling to Huntington University, with the women’s match set for 3 p.m. on Thursday and the men’s match at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
