Surprise, Ariz.-- The OUAZ Men's Tennis team continued GSAC play this past week, hosting Stanton University and Hope International at the Surprise Tennis Courts. Despite several strong individual performances and multiple three-set battles, the Spirit went 0–2 on the week, falling 6–1 to Stanton on Wednesday and 5–2 to Hope International on Thursday. OUAZ now sits at 2–16 overall and 0–3 in GSAC play.
Stanton 6, OUAZ 1 (March 25)
OUAZ opened the week with a strong showing in doubles at the top position, as Arvid Lindblad and Filip Novacek earned a 6–3 victory at No. 1 doubles over Stanton's Lemiel Kei and Oleks Kolesnychenko. However, Stanton claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 2 (6–1) and No. 3 (6–4), taking an early 1–0 lead. The doubles order of finish was 2, 1, 3.
In singles, the Spirit's lone point came from Filip Novacek at No. 2, who battled through a tightly contested three-set match. After taking the opening set 6–2, dropping the second 6–4, Novacek responded in the super tiebreak to secure the win 10–2, showcasing composure in one of the day's most competitive matches.
OUAZ was also involved in another close three-set contest at No. 4, where Kasper Olofsson pushed Matthias Bigot to the limit. Olofsson claimed the second set 7–5 after dropping the first, but ultimately fell just short in the deciding tiebreak 11–9.
Stanton secured the remaining singles courts in straight sets, including wins at No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6, to seal the 6–1 team victory. The singles order of finish was 6, 3, 1, 5, 2, 4.
Hope International 5, OUAZ 2 (March 26)
In Thursday's matchup against Hope International, the Royals claimed the doubles point in tightly contested action. OUAZ's top duo of Lindblad and Novacek fell just short in a 7–5 decision at No. 1 doubles, while Hope International secured the point with a 6–3 win at No. 2. The No. 3 doubles match, where Albin By and Boston McFarland led 6–5, went unfinished.
The Spirit responded with a pair of strong singles victories. At No. 4 singles, Kasper Olofsson bounced back with a resilient three-set win, defeating Kaito Henderson 6–0, 2–6, 6–4. Boston McFarland added another point at No. 5 in one of the most competitive matches of the day, earning a 7–6, 5–7, 10–8 victory in a marathon battle.
Several other courts were tightly contested. At No. 2 singles, Novacek split the first two sets 7–5, 5–7 before falling in the super tiebreak 10–7, while Fabian Wetter pushed a competitive first set at No. 3 before dropping a 7–5, 6–4 decision.
Hope International secured the remaining singles courts to clinch the 5–2 win, with the singles order of finish going 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Looking Ahead
Despite the results, the Spirit continue to show fight in singles play, highlighted by multiple three-set victories and tightly contested matches throughout the lineup. OUAZ will look to build on those efforts as conference play continues.
The Spirit return to action on Thursday, April 2, when they host Northern New Mexico at the Surprise Tennis Courts. First serve is set for 9:00 AM.
