Claremont, CA- The Men's tennis team faced Pomona-Pitzer in an exciting match. The number one doubles pairing of
Nicholas Chen and
Matt Kandel returned to fine form as they raced to a 8-3 victory over their Pomona adversaries. Chen's pinpoint placement on the serve set up Kandel for volley after volley, and the two Ephs never looked back.
On two and three doubles, both matches were very competitive, but a couple big points fell the way of the Sagehens, and after doubles the Ephs found themselves down 2-1 in the match overall.
Never worried however, the Ephs came out firing in singles, as Kandel as freshman
Leon Liu both took home quick first sets.
Shawn Berdia and Chen soon followed suit. Kandel finished the job quickly, and Liu came next, putting Williams up 3-2. Chen would be the next victor, as he raised his level at the right moments, winning in straight sets.
All eyes turned to Berdia's court, as he looked to clinch the match. Breaking down his opponent with his relentless consistency, he would also finish his match in straight sets. Doubles partners
Simon Volkema and
Kush Anand both lost the first set, but came storming back in the second. Volkema ran away with the third set, winning 6-1. Anand was down a set and 4-1, before firing forehands from all corners of the court, turning the match on its head. In the super tiebreaker, it was all Anand, and he sealed the win with a beautiful ace down the T.
Eph head coach Dan coach Greenberg said, "Our doubles energy had some bright spots today but can be improved. However, I'm proud of how we came out in singles and dominated on all six courts. Looking forward to the remainder of our time in Cali." The Ephmen return to action Saturday when they will take on #7 Claremont -Mudd-Scripps in a match set to start at 5 PM PDT.
Doubles
Chen/Liu (WIL) def. Feng/Lumba (PP) 8-3
Kelley/English (PP) def. Chong/Berdia (WIL) 8-4
Chulani/Lee (PP) def. Volkema/Anand (WIL) 8-7(1)
Singles
Kandel (WIL) def. Lumba (PP) 6-2, 6-2
Berdia (WIL) def. Lee (PP) 6-3, 6-4
Chen (WIL) def. Feng (PP) 6-3, 6-2
Volkema (WIL) def. Krishnan (PP) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
Anand (WIL) def. English (PP) 4-6, 6-4, 10-4
Liu (CHA) def. Wherley (PP) 6-3, 6-1
