The Biola men’s tennis team played on April 1 against the Lewis-Clark State College Warriors and on April 5 against the Westmont College Warriors, losing both matches. Biola had two other matches over spring break, losing first to Middlebury College then winning against Pacific Lutheran University. These matches move Biola’s overall record to 10-11, and 3-5 in Golden State Athletic Conference play.
CLOSE TO DEFEATING
Biola came the closest to defeating the Lewis-Clark Warriors, but proved unable to come back from an early deficit in singles play. The Warriors took the first four singles matches, but a pair of gritty performances from Biola’s top two players gave the Eagles hope. Sophomore Philip Westwood played on the top court for the Eagles, beating his opponent 6-4 in both sets. Fellow sophomore Lucas Lee, the most consistent player for the Eagles this year, increased his singles record to 13-5 by getting a three-set victory over his opponent on the second court. This gave the Eagles an opportunity for a comeback, as they needed to win all three of the doubles matches.
Unfortunately, only the Eagles’ second team composed of Westwood and sophomore Joe Turnquist proved able to get the win, dispatching the Lewis-Clark players 8-6. On the top court, Lee and junior Luke Mountain dropped their match 8-5, while the sophomore duo of David Garcia and Michael Vartuli lost 8-2 on the third court, giving Lewis-Clark the 6-3 overall win.
PLAYING THE FINAL GAME
The Eagles had three days to rest before coming back and playing their final home game of the regular season against the Westmont Warriors. The first time these teams met earlier this season, Westmont walked away with the 7-2 win, a result they improved on in this latest meeting.
Biola finished the match with only one singles win, coming courtesy of Garcia on the fifth court. He started out by winning the first set 7-5, then dropping the second 6-3. Garcia stayed mentally strong however, and fought back to win the third set 6-4. Lee nearly came away with the win at the two spot, as he forced a third set but lost it 7-5.
In doubles play, both Biola’s first and second teams lost 8-2, while the third court of Garcia and Vartuli got closer, losing by the minimum of two games, 8-6. Those loses gave Westmont the 8-1 overall match win.
LACKING CONSISTENCY
“Our struggle is that we haven't been consistent in competing at all nine spots,” said Brent Worthington, head coach. “Each match we've had a few spots play well but not all nine, and that’s why we haven't won lately.”
Biola’s next match is on April 9, as they face their final regular season opponent, the Arizona Christian University Firestorm. The match begins at noon on April 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. ACU beat Biola in a 5-4 heartbreaker earlier in the season, and Biola looks to go into postseason play on a strong note.
