LANCASTER, Pa. — The Mount Aloysius men’s tennis program earned their first win of the fall season, defeating the Lancaster Bible College Chargers 6-1 this Saturday, Sept. 21.
Saturday’s match up opened with roller coaster doubles for the Mounties. Struggling with service returns and net pressure, the Mounties would drop one doubles 3-6, but find success on return and volley exchanges at three doubles, taking the match 6-2 at the bottom flight. With the team point in the balance, seniors Matthew Franz (Johnstown, Ohio, Bishop Hartley) and Matt Jacobs (Somerset, PA, Somerset) would earn a 5-4 lead, before immediately dropping serve to go down 5-6 in the set. Committing to aggression, the Mounties would storm the net early, forcing the tiebreak after a handful of clutch volleys. Finding success on Jacobs’s returns and Franz’s serve, the Mounties would control the tiebreak, taking the match and the point for the Mounties with a 7-6(3) win.
Ready to make up for their doubles loss, freshmen Stefano Gasasira (Silver Spring, Md., John F. Kennedy) and Tristen Ruffley (Bedford, Pa., Bedford) would come out to play, controlling the top flights for the Mounties with steady straight-set victories. Gasasira would maintain his unbeaten singles streak with steady baseline aggression, while Ruffley would deny his opponent pace before unloading on put-aways to earn his first career singles victory. Jacobs and Franz would also win in straights, with Jacobs taking twelve straight games to claim the three singles win. Rounding out the Mounties’ singles successes was senior Hunter Reed (Shamokin, PA, Our Lady of Lourdes), who ground down his opponent to take the tight 6-3 6-3 win at the five spot…