DENVER – Home, sweet home.
Two wins, sweeter home.
The Metropolitan State University of Denver tennis team made a triumphant return to the Regency Athletic Complex on Wednesday with men's and women's matinee victories over CSU-Pueblo. The women (8-9) clobbered the ThunderWolves (1-15) by a 7-0 count, while the men (5-8) snuck away with a 4-3 win over CSU-Pueblo (2-13) in their first home match of the 2018-19 season. The Roadrunner women hadn't played at home since September.
"The women took care of business today," said MSU Denver head coach
Josh Graetz (Albury, Australia/The Scots School), who celebrated his birthday with a pair of wins on Wednesday. "I was really impressed with their focus and discipline on court."
The women set the tone in doubles, surrendering just one game to CSU-Pueblo.
Alex Pessoa (Denver, Colo./Home-schooled) and
Helena Steenberg (Skodsborg, Denmark/Naerum Gymnasium, Naerum, Denmark) took care of business in the No. 1 slot, beating the Thunderwolves' Nia Matthews and Kali Hamilton by a score of 6-1.
Tabitha Porter (Auckland, New Zealand/Northcote College) and
Mackenzie Hotan (Beaverton, OR/Southridge H.S.) skunked Sarah Megilligan and Emily Sporston of CSU-Pueblo in No. 2 doubles, 6-0, locking up the doubles point for the Roadrunners.
From there, the women didn't surrender a single set in singles action.
Porter, ranked No. 48 in Wednesday's new NCAA Division II rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), knocked off Matthews easily in No. 1 singles by a 6-1, 6-2 score. Pessoa faced Hamilton again and won 6-4, 6-1, while Steenberg beat Sporston 6-2, 6-1.
Olivia Kaiser (Aachen, Germany/Bischoefliches Gymnasium St. Ursula, Geilenkirchen) earned a solid win over Megilligan in No. 4 singles by a count of 6-3, 6-2.
Eliza McKean (Buderim, Queensland, Australia/Sunshine Coast Grammar School) dominated Katherine Ambrose in the No. 5 position, winning all 12 games in a 6-0, 6-0 victory, while
Ainsley Winterrowd (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) won by default in the No. 6 position.
It wasn't as easy for the Roadrunner men, who lost the doubles point before executing a comeback in singles.
"The guys started really poorly in doubles," Graetz said. "They are learning that the tone of the match starts in doubles and often decides the outcome of the match. What was most pleasing was how we responded as a team."
Joey Tscherne (Sylmar, Calif./John F. Kennedy) and newcomer
Mateo Besada (Buenos Aires, Argentina/SEADEA) picked up the lone doubles win for the MSU Denver men, defeating Daniel Garcia and Ogulcan Deniz by a 6-3 score. CSU-Pueblo collected the doubles point with wins in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
Down a point after doubles, the Roadrunners knew they'd need to win at least four of six singles matches to leave with a team victory. Tscherne, ranked No. 49 in Division II as a singles player in Wednesday's ITA rankings, handed Deniz his second loss of the day in No. 1 singles with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win.
Daniel Llorente (Malaga, Spain/) defeated Daniel Garcia in No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-4.
Alejandro Martinez-Morilla (Madrid, Spain/I.E. Valdecas) got revenge for a doubles loss with a No. 3 singles win over Edward Cooper – who he had faced in doubles – winning 6-0, 7-6 (5). A close win from
Mateo Besada (Buenos Aires, Argentina/SEADEA) in No. 4 singles (6-4, 7-5 over James Ryan) gave MSU Denver victories in the top four singles slots to secure the team's fifth dual victory of the season.
"Winning close matches like that only brings the guys closer and makes us more battle-hardened," Graetz said.
The men's and women's teams will each play their second consecutive home match on Friday, squaring off against Colorado Mesa at 2 p.m. MT at the Regency Athletic Complex. That dual will signal the start of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition for the women, who will host another RMAC match against Dixie State on Saturday morning. The men's team will travel to Greeley, Colo., to play Division I Northern Colorado on Sunday.
