Photo by samsphotoservices.com

Los Angeles, CA – At home on Saturday morning the men's tennis team faced the Whittier Poets. It was an intense duel, with both sides bringing high levels of energy. The Tigers proved themselves to be the mentally stronger team of the day, however, and took the win 5-4.

At #1 Doubles, Matt O'Connor and Seth Lipe took a clean 8-1 win. They were followed by another win at #3. David Zhang and Michael Abagyan took that match 8-4. The #2 Doubles was the last to finish. While Zach Haas and Brett Miller pushed for some close games, they ultimately lost their match 3-8.

To secure the duel the Tigers needed to win at least three of their singles matches. At #2, #3, and #5 Singles the men were able to get it done.

Matt O'Connor, at #1 Singles, nearly got a win under his belt. He lost narrowly 11-9 in a first set tiebreaker and after facing some physical issues, decided to continue playing into the second set.

At #2 singles, Sam Coan had a great match. The energy of the duel and the fans did not faze him and he took a 6-1, 6-2 win.

David Zhang at #3 played one of the best matches of his season yet, winning 6-0, 6-1. He took advantage of opportunities like attacking on his opponents serve with strong returns. Additionally, Zhang played smart tennis, controlling where the ball would go and setting himself up for put-away shots. 

Finally, at #4 Singles, Brett Miller took the victory for Oxy 6-4, 6-1. Chris Swanson, another first-year, played a close match at #6 which went to a third-set super tiebreaker, rather than a full third set, since the duel for the Tigers was already secured.

Next Match: Friday, April 8th. 3:00 PM - Oxy vs Cal Lutheran @ Home.