Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Tennis team opened up 2020 with a home match-up against Biola University and despite battling with the Eagles could only gather one point falling 8-1.

It was a strong start for the Poets in doubles.  Even though they got swept they proved a tough match-up for Biola.  Pim Van Der Veer (Amsterdam, Netherlands) teamed up for the first time with Thomas Koszowski (Denver, CO) and took newcomers Alexei Prokopchuk/Derek James to the brink falling 8-6.  Then the new No. 2 team of Matt Yanuck (Studio City, Calif.) and Jesse Eccles (Queenstown, New Zealand) would perform at a high level against Andres Meneses and Logan Blair also getting broken late at 8-6. 

Ian Ross (Altadena, Calif.) who played for the Poets back in 2015 has returned and found himself starting at No. 3 doubles with Maxwell Koszowski (Denver, CO).  They though could not find their footing falling 8-3.

In singles Biola kept the momentum getting quick points at No. 1 from newcomer Prokopchuk who took out Van der Veer 6-1, 6-2.  Sam Whitehill (Brisbane, Australia) got his first look in singles at No. 4 and he too went down quickly falling 6-1, 6-0 to Edwyn Ramos that gave the Eagles a 5-0 lead. 

Yanuck ended the run with the lone point on the day at No. 3 singles.  After a tight breaker, which he would win 7-6, he would maintain control in the second at 6-4.  After that T. Koszowski would drop at No. 2 6-0, 6-1 and his twin brother M. Koszowski would finish at No. 5, but had success against Meneses getting four games at 6-1, 6-3. 

The final match on was senior Zach Ambrosio (Moreno Valley, Calif.) who stepped in for the injured Eccles and he would rise to the occasion taking the first set 6-2 over Quentin Lau before dropping the second 6-0 and eventually the super tiebreaker 10-5.         

Whittier gets back to the court this weekend with back-to-back matches on February 8-9 against Pomona-Pitzer and Lewis & Clark.