Westmont tennis caps off GSAC slate in Fullerton

By JACOB NORLING WESTMONT SPORTS WRITER

Westmont Men’s and Women’s Tennis wrapped up their Golden State Athletic Conference slate on Saturday, when they traveled down south to face the Hope International Royals.

For the men, Westmont (7-9) secured a 5-2 GSAC record, and the two seed in the GSAC Tournament, after defeating Hope International in come-from-behind fashion. It was an uphill battle for the Warriors from the jump, when Hope International took doubles matches on courts two and three to claim the doubles point.

However, Westmont refused to allow the Royals to capitalize on their early momentum. Preston Hastings was the first Warrior to get the team on the board, collecting a 6-3, 6-1 victory on court five. Ethan Ha followed suit soon-after, coming away with a 6-4, 6-4 win on three. HIU took matches on courts four and six, which put the Royals on the brink of victory up 3-2.

Then, Logan Thompson knotted things up with a 7-5, 6-4 win on one. The match came down to court two, where Cody Ray Emery was competing in a three-set thriller. Emery took the first set by a score of 6-4, but dropped the second by a score of 6-3.

With the two-seed in the conference tournament at stake, Emery emphatically came out victorious by a score 6-1, giving the Warriors a 4-3 win.

“That was the most opportune win of the year, no question,” said Westmont head coach Mark Basham. “It was two great and evenlymatched teams going to battle today. In doubles we actually got a bit of momentum on one, even though it didn’t matter for the score. Logan and Ethan won one at the end of doubles, and it kind’ve allowed our guys to get going.

“I am incredibly proud of Preston, who set the tone with his win on five. He has been our most improved player. Ethan played great again, in both singles and doubles, and then Logan beat a really good opponent who has fared well in the conference.

Basham continued, “Cody Ray just stepped up big in the end to win in during the final set. It was just such a great team win. I told the guys about 30 minutes before the match ended that no matter what, I was proud of them for the fight they showed. The win made it easier for them to feel good about their fight.”

For the women, Westmont (2-14, 2-3) fell 6-1 to the Royals, which placed the team one game back of the Royals (3-2 GSAC) in the standings. In the coming weeks, the Warriors will discover their official seed in the conference tournament.

Westmont’s lone point of the day came on court six, where captain Logan Jackson pulled off a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

“It was a day,” said Westmont head coach Cade Pierson. “At the end of the match I had so much to say, but I was also a bit speechless. I haven’t coached that long, but I’ve been around tennis a long time. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a match that left me on the most-extreme ends both proud and disappointed.

“It was a paradox of a day. I’m sick of this being our story, but there were a lot of external factors today. Still amidst everything, I’m proud of our players who did put up a fight. I hope that they can find a way to see the benefits of having gone through what we have before the season is over.” email: sports@newspress.com

For the men, Westmont has only one tuneup remaining before the GSAC Tournament, with a non-conference match against Gustavus Adolphus scheduled for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. For the women, the Warriors return to the court on Friday at 12:00 p.m., when they take on Biola in La Mirada.

Both teams begin play in the GSAC Tournament on April 25 in Surprise, Arizona. Jacob Norling is the sports information assistant at Westmont College.