Results

SARTELL, Minn. – Saint John's tennis opened its 2017 season with a narrow 5-4 loss to Luther (Iowa) on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Sta-Fit (formerly Fitness Evolution) in Sartell.

SJU gained a 2-1 lead after doubles competition, splitting a pair of bout via tie-breaker, but managed to only claim wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles.

A pair of Bloomington Jefferson graduates, junior Tim Larson and sophomore Jonah Punnoose, paired up to earn a 9-8 (7-2) win at No. 1 doubles, while sophomores Hunter Krebsbach (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds View) and Ryan Meger (Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi) posted a less-stressful 8-4 victory at No. 2. Freshman Jess Hansen (Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd) and sophomore Tom Prittinen (Virginia, Minn.) suffered a hard-fought 9-8 (7-4) loss at No. 3.

Larson battled back from a nail-biting loss in his first set at No. 1 singles, 7-6 (8-6), to win the second 6-3 and the super-breaker, 10-5.

Meger won SJU's other match in singles play, like Larson, via the super-breaker at No. 2: 7-6 (7-5), 2-6 and 10-8.

The deciding match for the Norse was a super-breaker win over Hansen at No. 5: 2-6, 6-3 and 10-8.

The Johnnies travel north to face St. Scholastica for an 11:30 a.m. match on Sunday, Feb. 5, at Quad Cities Tennis For All in Virginia.