The Saint John's tennis team plays host to No. 18 Gustavus Adolphus for a noon match on Saturday, March 22, at Fitness Evolution in Sartell.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (4-4, 0-1 MIAC) moved above .500 on the year by going 3-1 during its spring-break trip in Tampa, Fla., over spring break. The Johnnies opened their MIAC schedule with a 6-3 loss at St. Thomas last Sunday (March 16). SJU entered singles competition with a 2-1 lead thanks to a pair of wins in doubles play. Sophomores Jack Hansen (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) and Andrew Nagel (Maple Grove, Minn.) won at No. 1 with an 8-6 score and seniors Joe Laue (St. Louis Park, Minn./Holy Angels) and Connor Rust (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) tallied an 8-4 win at No. 2. Jack Hansen, however, was the lone Johnnie to win a singles match against the Tommies, at No. 1, 6-2 and 6-0.
A LOOK AT THE GUSTIES: Gustavus (14-3, 5-0 MIAC) is currently ranked No. 18 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Gusties lost their first two matches in the Stag-Hen Invitational to Emory (Ga.) and Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) by 6-3 scores March 14, but bounced back with a 6-3 win of their own over Swarthmore (Pa.) March 15. GAC has won all five of its MIAC matches with a perfect 9-0 score this spring (Bethel, Concordia, Hamline, Macalester and St. Olaf).
LAST YEAR'S MATCHES: SJU dropped two matches to the Gusties last season, including a 9-0 decision to then-No. 17 GAC last March 16 (2013) in St. Peter. Fabricio Moncada '13, fell to Gustavus' Amrik Donkena, in straight sets (6-4, 6-2). Willie Paul '13 won his first set 7-5 at No. 6 singles, but lost via the super-breaker, 10-6, following a 6-1 decision in the second set.
The Johnnies ended their 2013 season with a 5-0 loss to Gustavus in the MIAC Tournament semifinals May 4. The Gusties built a 3-0 lead with 8-2 decisions at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles and an 8-3 win at No. 3. Laue and Rust fell at Nos. 2 (6-1, 6-0) and 3 (6-2, 6-1) singles. Moncada lost a 3-2 lead in his first set at No. 1 before falling, 6-3. The second set was tied 2-2 when the match ended. Hansen, meanwhile, was ahead 1-0 in his first set at No. 4.
