MTEN | SMC Starts Final Homestand Against Hawaii
4/3/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MORAGA, Calif. -- The Saint Mary's men's tennis team begins its final stretch of home matches on Sunday with a noon showdown against Hawaii that should serve as a prelude to a competitive close to the 2013 regular season.
Saint Mary's (8-9, 3-1 West Coast Conference) dropped its first WCC match on Sunday, falling 6-1 to No. 40-ranked BYU in Provo, Utah.
There were still some positives to take away from that match, namely the play of Jesse Kiuru at No. 1 singles. A three-set marathon with No. 37 Patrick Kawka went Kiuru's way, as the native of Lahti, Finland pulled out a 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (11-9) victory.
Aside from the BYU match, Saint Mary's has been solid in conference play this season. A win over No. 53 Santa Clara got the WCC season started, and wins over Gonzaga and Portland kept the Gaels unbeaten through their first three conference matches.
Hawaii (5-9, 2-1 Big West) begins a five-match California swing with matches against San Francisco and UC Davis.
The Warriors have used three different players in the No. 1 singles spot this year, with junior Jared Spiker the latest to fill that role. Spiker defeated UC Riverside's Jimmy Roberts in straight sets last time out.
Junior Jonathan Brooklyn and senior Dmytro Kovalyov have also seen time at the No. 1 spot, and they'll team up at No. 1 doubles and likely face the duo of Kiuru and Joakim Norstrom.
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