Southwestern Men's Tennis was defeated by the University of Chicago on March 17, 2023 but defeated Sul Ross on the same day. The Pirates put up a huge fight but fell to Chicago at their home courts, 4-5. This was an extremely competitive match. Later in the day, the Pirates got a 9-0 victory against Sul Ross.
While playing Chicago, the Pirates got down 1-2. The Pirates' doubles teams had good energy but did not quite match the level that Chicago was performing at. Sebastian Herrera and Steven Tibbetts got the first point for the Pirates at line three doubles. Herrera and Tibbetts both had an outstanding performance and drive to win their match. The communication between the two truly allowed for the level of play they were competing at in doubles. Not far behind in points, the men entered singles with high energy and positivity.
The Pirates entered singles ready to battle. The next three points that the Pirates obtained were won by Steven Tibbetts, Ashton Ellis, and Anton Borovik. Freshman Ashton Ellis had an incredible win in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6. Ellis fought for the victory through the very end. Senior Captain Steven Tibbetts and Junior Anton Borovik both won their matches in the third set. Tibbetts won his match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Borovik won 4-6, 6-1 (10-5).
While the Pirates were defeated by the University of Chicago, it was nothing to hang their heads over. After the long week of matches, the men's tennis team gave Chicago a true run for their money. None of the matches were won easily, and it was an absolute battle until the last match was done.
After the loss to Chicago, the Pirates had a breezy 9-0 win over Sul Ross. The Pirates performed exceptionally well and were able to get the nine wins quickly.
During doubles against Sul Ross, the Pirates got a quick 3-0. The doubles pairings of Captain Daniel Haley and Travis Rafferty, Rylan Hastings and Jared Burton, and Joseph Snyman and Landon Sosebee all communicated and performed well together.
With high confidence entering singles, the Pirates knew they needed to keep their foot on the gas and not let up. Junior Travis Raffterty won his singles match at line two, 6-0, 6-2. Freshman Rylan Hastings got an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win at line three singles. Playing line six, Freshman Landon Sosebee had a huge win, 6-0, 6-0, in his singles debut.
The win over Sul Ross was a good confidence boost following the loss to the University of Chicago. The Pirates performed well and are looking forward to the conference tournament coming up!
Be sure to mark your calendars for the Conference Tournament which will be held at your very own Southwestern University on April 28-30, at the Pirates' home courts!