The boys varsity tennis team’s matchup with a very talented Phillips Exeter team on Saturday, April 8, at Exeter came down to the last match of the day, and the Pelicans emerged with a thrilling 4-3 victory.

From the beginning, it was clear that the Pelicans were in for a battle, facing strong opposition across all three doubles matches. At No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, Loomis Chaffee built early leads through strong communication and team play.

The No. 3 team, featuring sophomore Trey Dodd and senior Avery Bronner, played confidently, closing out their match 8-4. Shortly after, freshman Alex Park and senior co-captain Will Howley secured the all-important doubles point for Loomis with an impressive 8-3 win at No. 2 spot.

At No. 1 doubles, senior co-captain Tiger Cao and junior Leo Lee battled valiantly against a strong Exeter duo and mounted an impressive comeback that unfortunately fell short, ending in an 8-6 loss.

Heading into singles play, the Pelicans needed to win three of the six singles matches to clinch the overall match.

Continuing in their winning ways, No. 5 Bronner and No. 6 Dodd soon put Loomis on the brink of victory with composed and efficient play, both winning in straight sets. At No. 1, Park fought hard against a talented opponent but ultimately was unable to take home a win.

With the overall score at 3-1 in favor of Loomis, the Pelicans needed just one of the three remaining matches for victory. The No. 4 position featured a spirited comeback from Cao, who rallied after being down a full set but came up just short in the super-tiebreak.

At No. 2, Howley faced an aggressive big-hitting opponent who built an early lead. However, Will was able to dig in, ultimately leveling the first set at 5-5 before falling in two competitive sets.

With the match now tied, the result would be decided by Lee and his opponent at the No. 3 position. Both teams moved to court 3, setting the tone for a dramatic finish. Lee and his Exeter counterpart were very evenly matched and pushed each other mentally and physically. Lee took the first set 7-6. In the second-set tiebreak, Lee held his ground and played calmly, eventually winning his match and clinching the overall victory for the Pelicans.

Up next, the Pelicans begin Founders League play when they travel to Choate for a match against the Wild Boars on Wednesday, April 12, at 2:30 p.m.