by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Weber State Tennis Recap
The Weber State Wildcats continue their tennis seasons in dominating fashion with 4-1 and 6-1 wins from the men’s and women’s teams, respectively. With their victories this weekend, each roster holds second place in the Big Sky standings, with the men having an 11-7 (4-0) record and the women at 8-7 (5-1).
Men’s Recap
Weber State versus Santa Clara 4-1
The men’s team was the first to action this week with a 4-1 victory over Santa Clara. This matchup was no walk in the park as the Broncos are 12-8 on the season with some impressive wins on the way, but the Wildcats took care of business at home.
Doubles
A strong start benefited Weber State after they took two of three sets to take the doubles point. Losing the first set always puts a team at a disadvantage, but WSU bounced back in a big way with a 6-4 win from William Zulch and Connor Kruger. A thrilling back-and-forth contest decided the match, with Tristan Sarap and Elyes Marouani securing the point by a score of 7(7) to 6(3). The doubles point gave the Wildcats a head start, jumping to a 1-0 advantage.
- Tristan Sarap/Elyes Marouani (WSU) beat Arthur Neuhaus/Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) 7-6 (7-3)
- William Zulch/Connor Kruger (WSU) beat Mann Shah/Santiago Hinojosa (SCU) 6-4
- Jack Pulliam/Matthew Rodriguez (SCU) beat Sebastian Buxman/Matteo Savio (WSU) 6-2
Order of Finish: (3, 2, 1)
Singles
Weber State stayed hot entering singles play. Tristan Sarap – after playing in the decisive set in doubles – kicked things off in controlling fashion, taking his point 6-3, 6-2. Jack Pulliam got a measure of revenge for Santa Clara with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Zulch, but Matteo Savio took his point to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead. Sebastian Buxman recovered from his doubles loss well with a 7(7)-6(4), 6-2 win to clinch the victory for WSU. Connor Kruger’s and Elyes Marouani’s matches were left unfinished in competitive battles, but the Wildcats did everything they needed to grab another big win of the season.
- Sebastian Buxman (WSU) beat Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
- Tristan Sarap (WSU) beat Arthur Neuhaus (SCU) 6-3, 6-2
- Connor Kruger (WSU) beat Mann Shah (SCU) 7-5, 4-5, unfinished
- Elyes Marouani (WSU) beat Santiago Hinojosa (SCU) 6-1, 6-6, unfinished
- Jack Pulliam (SCU) beat William Zulch (WSU) 6-1, 6-2
- Matteo Savio (WSU) beat Nick Cmager (SCU) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: (2, 5, 6, 1)
Women’s Recap
Weber State versus Sacramento State 6-1
The women’s team showed the same flashes of dominance as the men’s team in their battle against their Big Sky foe: the Sacramento State Hornets. A 6-1 victory lifted the Wildcats in the conference standings, making them nearly a shoo-in to the top three seeds in the end-of-season tournament.
Doubles
Weber State was straight to business in the doubles match against the Hornets. Megan Davies and Ana Morett led the charge with a 6-2 win in their set, and Dylan Lolofie and Megan Lombardi secured the point with a 6-3 victory. With the match already decided, Kenadee Semenik and Sicely Ferreira battled in a competitive set but ultimately fell 7-5 in a well-played duel.
- Ana Morett/Megan Davies (WSU) beat Weronika Ejsmont/Best Lee (SAC) 6-2
- Dylan Lolofie/Megan Lombardi (WSU) beat Mayya Gorbunova/Tsveti Yotova (SAC) 6-3
- Maddy Ferreros/Julia Moraes (SAC) beat Kenadee Semenik/Sicely Ferreira (WSU) 7-5
Order of Finish: (1, 2, 3)
Singles
Lombardi came with the heat to take the first singles point for Weber State, taking her match 6-0, 6-1 in an utter display of excellence. Unfortunately, Semenik’s poor outing leaked into her singles play, as she was swept 2-6, 4-6. The Wildcats may have teased the Hornets with their first point of the outing, though, sweeping the rest of the matches, including Lolofie clinching the victory with a 6-2, 6-3 performance.
The rosters finished their matches after Weber State’s win, with Ana Morett’s decisive set being the highlight of the final duels. She won her match 6-4, 1-6, 11-9.
- Ana Morett (WSU) beat Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) 6-4, 1-6, 11-9
- Megan Davies (WSU) beat Maddy Ferreros (SAC) 6-2, 6-2
- Megan Lombardi (WSU) beat Weronika Ejsmont (SAC) 6-0, 6-1
- Tsveti Yotova (SAC) beat Kenadee Semenik (WSU) 6-2, 6-4
- Cindy Ping An (WSU) beat Best Lee (SAC) 6-4, 4-6, 10-4
- Dylan Lolofie (WSU) beat Julia Moraes (SAC) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: (3, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5)
What’s to Come
The men and women will be on the road next week as they face off against Big Sky foes. The men go to Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday, April 15, to battle Northern Arizona on a day that may determine the #1 seed in the conference; the women travel to Cheney, Washington, on Friday, April 14, to take on Eastern Washington and one of the bottom rosters in Big Sky women’s tennis.
Socials
Stay up-to-date on the latest in Weber State Tennis here at The Hive Sports, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.