Men’s, women’s tennis perform strong in tourneys

Both the men’s and the women’s tennis teams left lasting impressions in their respective events, as the 2015 portion of the season nears the end.

The men’s team — in what is their last event of the season — swept the day Saturday, defeating all three teams visiting the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex in the first home event of the season.

The Shockers’ fire only burned hotter as the day went on, defeating Seminole State 4-3, McPherson 6-0 and Cowley 5-0.

“Today was definitely a tough day and we really grew up as a team,” men’s head coach Brad Louderback said. “I think our doubles got stronger. It was a great effort from everybody.”

The team started with a tight 4-3 win against Seminole State, where freshman Haru Inoue came through with a match-clinching victory in one of the final singles matches.

From there, the Shockers never looked back, not giving up a single set in their final two matches against McPherson and Cowley.

The women’s team had an equally strong showing, taking on tough teams in the June Stewart Invitational in Nashville, including defending national champions Vanderbilt.

The Shockers held their own against the champs, scoring three singles wins on the first day of competition. The team only picked up steam from there, sweeping all six singles victories on the second day against Indiana.

“It was tough competition,” women’s head coach Colin Foster said. “We lost some close matches Sunday. They were matches that could have gone either way, so it was tough to lose some of those, but it was still a really positive weekend.”

Gabriela Porubin and Julia Schiller, the two ranked players on the team, continued their strong season as a doubles pair, going 3-0 over the course of the weekend.

The strong play has given confidence to the team, which bodes well for the rest of the season. There is only one event left this fall before a short winter break lasting until the early part of January. Yet, the team continues to play strong and leave a lasting impression for the season to come.

“At the top end of the lineup, we are right there with some of the best players in the nation,” Foster said. “But up and down the lineup I know we’ve got good depth. I think that is something that is continuing to be proven in the fall tournament schedule.”