Photo by: Davis Gerber
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Poets wrapped up their first doubleheader of the season sweeping Biola 9-0 before edging No. 30 Rensselaer 5-4 to improve to 5-3.
Match 1 (Biola – W, 9-0)
Whittier used a sweep in doubles 8-2, 9-7. 8-0 before routing the Eagles in straight sets across the board in singles. David Konstantinov remains unbeaten in singles play this season winning 6-1, 6-1 at the top spot, while Mark Anthony Kenney cruised to the 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6.
Samuel Farmer had the toughest match on the day at No. 3 but pulled out a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Luke Mountain that kept the clean sweep alive. Troy Chavez won at No. 5 6-2, 6-0 before Shogo Shimizu and Chris Schommer won in straights 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4, 6-1, each respectively.
Match 2 (Rennselaer – W, 5-4)
In the second match of the day, the Poets matched up against No. 30 Rensselaer who had upset on their mind and they got close coming from being down 5-1 to earn the final three singles victories to fall by only by one.
The No. 1 doubles team of Konstantinov and Schommer got things rolling at No. 1 winning 8-2 and was followed by Chavez and Farmer who grabbed two breaks to win 8-5 at No. 2. But at No. 3 Shimizu and Kenney ran into a tough matchup with Graham Harris and Sherman Uyeno falling in a breaker 9-8 (5) keeping the Engineers alive.
In singles Konstantinov got yet another victory winning 6-1, 6-1 to give the Poets their third point on the day right before Schommer came from being down 3-0 to win 12 straight games to win 6-3, 6-0 over Jarrett Regier. Farmer at No. 3 clinched the victory for the Purple & Gold winning 6-4, 6-1 but from there the Poets ran out of steam falling in three sets at No. 4 and No. 5 and straights at No. 6.
Shimizu dropped the first set in a breaker 7-6 (2) but came back to force a third winning 6-2 but ultimately fell in an ultimate tiebreaker 10-6. Chavez ran into the same fate but secured the first set in a breaker 7-6 (2) before falling 6-2, 10-6 in the next two sets.
Kenney was the final point won by RIT dropping 7-5, 6-2 but ti would be too late as WC would hold on to survive the threat.
