MORAGA, Calif. -- The Saint Mary's men's tennis team got itself on the scoreboard for the 2015 spring season as a win in doubles gave way to some strong singles play and a 6-1 win over Sonoma State at Korth Tennis Complex.
Saint Mary's (1-2) got off to a strong start Sunday, with doubles providing both the opening point and a bit of momentum moving forward. The Gaels' No. 3 duo of Thomas Alexander Hunt and Nash Vollenweider kicked the day off with a 6-1 victory. Samuel Bloore and Jacob Lagman followed suit at No. 2, scoring a 6-1 victory of their own to remain unbeaten this spring and clinch the point. Arthur Weber and Wil Martin were also leading 4-3 on court 1 when play was stopped.
Moving to the top spot in the lineup for the first time this season, Hunt had no trouble giving Saint Mary's its second point, beating Phil Holbrook 6-1, 6-2. One court over, Bloore continued a very strong start to his season, defeating Daniel Holz 6-1, 6-4 to bring the Gaels within one point of clinching the victory. Through three dual matches, Hunt and Bloore are tied for the team lead in wins with two.
Junior Alec Wagner would do the honors, moving up to No. 5 in the lineup and scoring a 6-1, 6-2 win over Vincent Paganetti to give Saint Mary's the point it needed for the win. On court 6, Vollenweider made his collegiate singles debut and walked away with his first win, a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Matt Weeber. He wasn't the only Gael to earn a first collegiate win, as Lagman worked hard for a 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 win over Blaine Mengert on court 4 to provide a sixth point. Noah Lee gave Sonoma State (0-1) its lone win with a super-tiebreaker victory at No. 3.
Saint Mary's plays seven matches in the month of February but Sunday's was the first of only two at home. The Gaels will be road warriors for most of the month, and they start a three-match away stretch on Tuesday at Weber State. West Coast Conference play opens the next day at BYU and the trip concludes on Feb. 8 with a match at national power UCLA. SMC returns to Moraga on Feb. 15 to host UC Davis.
