Aggie men unable to overcome loss in doubles point, fall 5-2 to Bobcats
Losing the doubles point to open its match was just too much for the Utah State’s men’s tennis team to overcome as it fell 5-2 to Montana State University on Thursday.
In only their second match of the season, the Aggies (0-2) were looking to rebound at the Sports Academy and Racquet club from last Friday’s loss to the Air Force Academy. And with a match already under their belt, having confidence was not an issue.
“For me personally, I’m just really excited to be playing as a freshman,” Aggie Andrew Marsh said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I just go out there and do my best.”
Brandon Butler, playing at No. 4, said, “I think just having one match underneath, at least for me, it definitely helped.”
The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead by sweeping the doubles point. At No. 1 Marek Gebicki and Federico Ueltschi defeated the Aggie duo of Jonah Nelson and Jordan Butler, 8-6. No. 2 was much the same with Jesse Carl and Tejeshwara Chigateri pulling out the 8-6 victory over Jason Trask and Brandon Butler.
Montana State was able to pull out the third victory at No. 3 by an identical score, 8-6, with Braden Olson and Jake Barriochoa defeating Jacob Jensen and Ryan Bair.
In singles play, the competition remained tight with several closely contested matches.
At No. 1, Aggie Jonah Nelson fell 6-3, 6-1 to Ueltschi while at No. 2, Trask took Gebicki to three sets but eventually lost, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. In the No. 3 match, Jordan also fell, 6-4, 6-3, to Chigateri.
One of the two Utah State victories came at No 4. by Brandon, who defeated Olson 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to pick up his first win of the season.
Marsh also picked up his first victory of the year, defeating No. 5 Carl 7-6, 6-4 despite being troubled by tendonitis in his knees.
“It takes me 15 to 20 minutes to warm them up,” he said. “It’s just something that needs to be warmed up, and if I warm it up it doesn’t bother me too much.”
In the final match of the day, Bair fell in two sets, 7-5, 6-4 to No. 6 Barriochoa.
Despite the team loss, Head Coach Chris Wright said he was happy with the effort the Aggies put forth, but still feels the team needs to work on shot selection.
“I saw an improvement in that area overall, but there are still times when we jump the gun and go for more than we should,” he said.
Wright also said the team has been following its game plan, but has minor adjustments to make.
“We just have to make the little adjustments here and there,” he said. “It’s not like you have to redo your whole strategy. We just have to get better at controlling the tempo and executing the right plan at the right time.”
Marsh said, “I think every match is just a learning experience and helps you throughout the way. I think that throughout the year we’re going to progress and have some success at the Big West Tournament at the end.”
The Aggies will get another chance to put their learning and strategy to the test when they take to the road Friday against the University of Utah.
“They’re always solid, so if we’re going to win, we’re going to have to play every spot well, and we’re going to need the doubles point,” Brandon said.
Utah State will travel to Salt Lake to take on the Utes at 5 p.m. The match will be the first on the road for the Aggies this spring.
–slbk5@cc.usu.edu