Teddy Kaste-
Gustavus Men’s Tennis escaped the frigid late March temperatures in Minnesota in favor of sunny California, where they soaked up the sun while competing in 7 tennis matches (including scrimmages). At the end of the week, the Gusties flew home with 4 wins and 3 losses on the trip. Gustavus’ Men’s Tennis team is currently ranked #13 in the nation, so they flew out to California to face off against other top-tier tennis programs.
The Gusties started with their toughest test, #8 ranked Williams College, an elite program in the nation. The Gusties were beaten in doubles 2-1, with the lone point coming from the duo of Senior Caleb Fridringer and First-year Dominick Knutson.
The Gusties continued to struggle during the singles portion of the match, losing 5 out of their 6 matches. The lone win came from Junior Rafa de Camargo Costa, who won his match in straight sets. The final score of the match sat Williams: 7 Gustavus: 2, and the Gusties dropped their first match of the trip.
The action resumed on Tuesday against #32 ranked George Fox, where the Gusties looked to bounce back with a win over another ranked squad. The Gusties came out hot, winning all 3 of their doubles matches against George Fox resulting in a 3-0 lead.
The beatdown continued into the singles matches with the Gusties defeating George Fox 5-1 in those matches. The final tally sat Gustavus: 8 George Fox: 1, and Gustavus bounced back with an emphatic victory over George Fox.
The Gusties moved along into the next match against #27-ranked Babson. This match was much more even, with both teams going back and forth. Babson won the doubles portion 2-1 with Fridringer and Knutson again coming up with the lone point for the Gusties.
The Gusties bounced back in the singles with help from De Camargo Costa, Knutson, and Fifth-year Jack Bergmyer, who all won their matches. Sadly, it wasn’t enough as Babson won 3 matches of their own to win the match 5-4. The Gusties were again defeated, this time at the hands of Babson.
Following the loss to Babson, Gustavus went into a rematch against George Fox. George Fox, motivated by their decisive loss to the Gusties just one day prior, fought hard against the Gusties. The Gusties again swept the doubles 3-0, putting them in a commanding position going into singles.
George Fox fought back in the singles portion of the match securing the victory in 3 of the matches, however, it wasn’t enough to overcome the powerful Gustavus squad. At the end of the match, the final score was Gustavus: 6 and George Fox: 3. George Fox tried to beat the Gusties twice, but they fell both times.
Then Gustavus’ Tennis boys woke up Friday anticipating 2 fresh matchups, firstly against St. Katherine, and secondly against a formidable opponent in #26, Pomona-Pitzer. Against St. Katherine, Gustavus gave their typical starters a rest and played their B team.
Gustavus’ backups may not have been in the starting lineup, but they provided top-tier tennis nonetheless, sweeping the doubles and only dropping one singles match en route to an 8-1 victory over St. Katherine.
After a hectic week of tennis, playing 2 matches almost every day, Gustavus had one more match to go – this time against Pomona-Pitzer. Gustavus came out with something to prove, winning the doubles portion of the match 3-0.
The Gusties’ domination continued into the singles matches, winning that portion of the match 5-1, for a final score of Gustavus: 8 Pomona: 1. The Gusties ended the trip on a high note with their win over #26 Pomona-Pitzer and flew back to Minnesota as winners.
Knutson was honored with the MIAC Athlete of the Week award for his stellar play in California. About the honor, “I look at it as a reward for all the work we put in and also as a reward for the team. We already had 2 other players on our team who received this honor this season. It is always sweet seeing that a guy from our team won this award after a successful weekend. The overall team support and positive environment lead us to success and these kinds of awards. I have to mention my doubles partner Caleb Fridinger. He has a big impact on this honor. He played great tennis in doubles with me this past week. Our mental strength and positive attitude led us to victory,” Knutson said.
Sophomore Tyler Haddorff had a different perspective as to why the Gusties performed so well, “You know what they say ‘Look good, play good’ and the team was looking real good with mullets and facial hair over the trip, which definitely led to us getting two big wins against Pomona and George Fox who are both nationally ranked. So it was a very fun and successful trip for the team” Haddorff said. No matter your personal opinions on mullets and facial hair, you can’t deny the men’s success on the tennis court.
Although Gustavus played some quality tennis, Knutson saw room for improvement. “I think overall, the team can work on building more confidence in the big moments. We need to work on our strategy and the way we should approach the key points. Instead of waiting for what our opponent will do, we have to dictate our game plan and our way of competing. The key is to find the right path and go after it.” Knutson said.
The tennis team faces a tough test on the road with #6 ranked U Chicago next Saturday. The tennis team will have to bring their A-game if they want to defeat their formidable foes. It will be a high-level tennis match, and it will be very interesting to see how it plays out. Good luck Gusties!