Los Angeles, Calif.- On Friday afternoon turn evening, Arizona Christian opened their 2024 season by playing at Occidental. The Firestorm edged out the Tigers in a match played by the old college tennis/NCAA DIII rules where doubles accounted for three points.
Match Info
- Match score: Arizona Christian- 5, Occidental- 4
- Records: Arizona Christian- 1-0, Occidental- 0-1
- NAIA Rankings: Arizona Christian- not ranked, Occidental- not NAIA
- McKinnon Family Tennis Center, Los Angeles, CA
Inside Box Score
- Winning doubles on courts one and two proved to be the difference in the match
- Jonas Wand and Lennert Lemahieu cruised 8-3 in doubles one
- Number two doubles saw Hugo Abril and Adrian Smith earn an 8-6 victory and essentially win the team match
- Including doubles three, the Tigers won four of the remaining seven matches
- Oxy moved ahead in the team score with wins in singles five and six
- Despite playing three sets, Abril won the next match finished to tie the team match at 3-3
- Smith, making his Firestorm debut, won in straight sets
- Lemahieu dropped his first set put the match on ice with his 6-4 and 6-3 wins in the second and third sets
Thoughts from Coach Carlisle
"Great win to start the season! This was a battle from start to finish, but the guys dug deep and found a way to pull it out. By no means did we play our best today, but I am really proud of the heart and fight we showed and I know a win like that will pay big dividends moving forward. We will have to recover quickly to be ready for Westmont tomorrow, but I know we are up for the challenge."
Up Next
The Firestorm will head to Santa Barbara to face old GSAC foe Westmont on Saturday. The match is scheduled to start at 10:00 am (Pacific)/ 11:00 am (Arizona).
