Glendale, Ariz.- On Friday, Arizona Christian Men's Tennis opened their 2021 season with a win over NCAA DII Western New Mexico.  The Firestorm made a winner of Head Coach Phil Carlisle in his ACU coaching debut.

Match Info

• Match score: Arizona Christian - 4, Western New Mexico - 3
• Records: Arizona Christian - 1-0, Western New Mexico - 0-2
• NAIA Rankings: Arizona Christian - not ranked, Western New Mexico - NCAA DII
• Location: Paseo Racquet Center, Glendale AZ

Inside Box Score

• Beginning with doubles, ACU won on courts two and three to win the doubles point
• Jonas Wand and David Maas cruised 6-1 on court two
• Jose Dominguez and Leon Olivier followed with a 6-4 win to seal the first team point
• ACU jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Wand and Maas won the first two completed singles matches
• WMNU won on court one for a 3-1 score
• Olivier locked up the win with a 6-4, 6-2 victory on court five
• The last season opening win for ACU came two years ago against the same WNMU team

Scores v Western New Mexico

Doubles

1. Jonathon Vega/Joaquin Delpino (WNMU-M) def. POPYRIN, Anthony/VASQUEZ, Andres (ACU) 6-4

2. WAND, Jonas/MAAS, David (ACU) def. Jace Crawford/Lazius Brown (WNMU-M) 6-1

3. DOMINGUEZ, Jose/OLIVIER, Leon (ACU) def. Rodrigo Mere/Erik Dallman (WNMU-M) 6-4

Singles

1. Jonathon Vega (WNMU-M) def. POPYRIN, Anthony (ACU) 6-3, 6-2

2. Joaquin Delpino (WNMU-M) def. VASQUEZ, Andres (ACU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1

3. Rodrigo Mere (WNMU-M) def. DOMINGUEZ, Jose (ACU) 6-1, 6-4

4. WAND, Jonas (ACU) def. Erik Dallman (WNMU-M) 6-0, 6-1

5. OLIVIER, Leon (ACU) def. Jace Crawford (WNMU-M) 6-4, 6-2

6. MAAS, David (ACU) def. Lazius Brown (WNMU-M) 6-4, 6-1

Thoughts from Coach Carlisle

"This was a great first match for us. We knew it would be tough, but both teams came out with fantastic energy and focus. The guys started off strong and we were able to get the doubles point which is huge, and in singles we really showed how deep we are. We need to execute better moving forward and not dwell on every mistake, but overall I am really proud of the guys for getting a big win to start the year."

Up Next

The Firestorm will play two matches in two locations on Saturday.  At 11:00 am, ACU will host OUAZ at the Paseo Racquet Club to open GSAC play.  Then ACU will move to the Phoenix Tennis Center to face Colorado Mesa at 4:00 pm.