The boys varsity tennis team improved to 6-1 on the year with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hotchkiss on Monday, April 24, after falling behind early in the home match.

Played on the South Courts at Loomis Chaffee, the match began with doubles play, and the No. 3 pairing of senior Avery Bronner and sophomore Trey Dodd delivered a dominant 8-1 victory. Hotchkiss took home victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, giving the Bearcats a 1-0 lead in the overall match.

In order to take home the win, the Pelicans needed to win four out of the six singles matches, which followed the doubles competition. Things started off strong when Trey Dodd, playing at the No. 6 spot, used tremendous consistency to dispatch his opponent in two quick sets.

After splitting two sets at the No. 3 spot, junior Leo Lee gave the Pelicans their first lead of the day with a clutch victory win, showing serious poise late in the match.

Hotchkiss managed to tie things back up after freshman Alex Park fell at the No. 1 spot to a talented and powerful opponent, but Bronner helped the Pelicans maintain momentum when he won his match at No. 4 with a tenacious and determined performance against a tough opponent.

With the overall match now 3-2 in favor of Loomis, the Pelicans needed to claim just one more win to take home the victory, and that opportunity came down to senior captains Tiger Cao at No. 5 and Will Howley at No. 2.

After both athletes dropped their first sets, Howley and Cao showed their veteran experience and clawed back to force third-set super-tiebreakers.

Unfortunately, Tiger fell 11-9 in his super-tiebreaker, and with the overall match tied at 3-3, players and coaches from both sides flocked to the remaining court to watch Howley and his opponenrt. With singular determination, Howley won his match and thus clinched victory for the Pelicans.

Up next, the Pelicans look to build on their success when they host Williston Northampton on Wednesday, April 26, on the South Courts.

Match Results:

Doubles:

1.)   Leong / Annamaneni def. Will Howley / Alex Park (8-6) H

2.)   Tsibikov / Acevedo def. Tiger Cao / Leo Lee (9-8) H

3.)   Avery Bronner / Trey Dodd def. Li / Matanachai (8-1) LC

Singles:

1.)   Jared Leong def. Alex Park (6-0, 6-4) H

2.)   Will Howley def. Yury Tsibikov (3-6, 6-4, 10-8) LC

3.)   Leo Lee def. Sahil Annamaneni (6-2, 2-6, 10-6) LC

4.)   Avery Bronner def. Matias Acevedo (6-4, 6-4) LC

5.)   Sebby Brown def. Tiger Cao (4-6, 6-3, 11-9) H

6.)   Trey Dodd def. Ken Matanachai (6-2, 6-0) LC