SEATTLE, Wash. – The Eastern Washington University men's tennis team put up a tough fight against Washington this afternoon in Seattle (Jan. 13) but fell 0-7 at the end of the day. Eastern is now 0-1 overall to start the regular season.
"It was a rough match but there were a lot of things to take away from it," said head coach Steve Clark. "My long time friends and opposing coaches commented on what a good team we have. This was much tougher than our last outing. We have to be more aggressive, period. This is something I coach everyday, but when you see what it looks like against you it hits."
The Eagles opened up doubles play with seniors Scott Paz and Flavien Raveau who played a long match against Washington stand-outs Kawika Lam and Enzo Sommer but fell short 5-7. Followed by senior Ricardo Almeida and freshman Jeremy Mueller who fought hard against Jack Davis and Jake Douglas but lost 1-6. Freshman Martin Bats and sophomore Garner Sears also teamed up to compete against Piers Foley and Mitch Stewart of Washington (0-6).
Six athletes represented Eastern in singles play. Paz played in the No.1 spot against Jake Douglas from UW and fell 2-6, 1-6 to end the match, followed by Flavien Raveau against Mitch Stewart (2-6, 0-6).
The next four matches were decided by two sets for the Eagles. Mueller lost in the third spot (2-6, 2-6) and freshman Martin Bats fell to his opponent (3-6, 2-6) in the fourth spot, followed by senior Victor Pereira (1-6, 1-6) and senior Ricardo Almeida (2-6, 3-6).
"It was a good chance for the guys to play given we did not have a full lineup. We have to get healthy," said Clark. "But one thing that was common was there was fight, there was team support, and energy. All good stuff."
The Eagles will travel to South Carolina in two weeks (Jan. 26-28) to compete against South Carolina Upstate, The Citadel, and Coastal Carolina before their home-opener the following weekend (Feb. 3).
For more information on Eastern Washington's men's tennis team, follow @EWUAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 2, 1)
1. Kawika Lam/Enzo Sommer (UW) def. Scott Paz/Flavien Raveau (EWU) 7-5
2. Jack Davis/Jake Douglas (UW) def. Ricardo Almeida/Jeremy Mueller (EWU) 6-1
3. Piers Foley/Mitch Stewart (UW) def. Martin Bats/Garner Sears (EWU) 6-0
Singles (Order of finish: 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6)
1. Jake Douglas (UW) def. Scott Paz (EWU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Mitch Stewart (UW) def. Flavien Raveau (EWU) 6-2, 6-0
3. Enzo Sommer (UW) def. Jeremy Mueller (EWU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Amit Batta (UW) def. Martin Bats (EWU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Piers Foley (UW) def. Victor Pereira (EWU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Jack Davis (UW) def. Garner Sears (EWU) 6-2, 6-3
