The Eagles returned to the Biola Tennis Center on Monday, taking on Western New Mexico University. In a hard-fought battle that came down to the last match, Biola fell 4-3 to the Mustangs.
In doubles, the Eagles got off on the right foot with senior David Garcia and freshman Edwyn Ramos claiming a 6-3 win. However, juniors Derek James and Erik Martinez fell 7-5, and sophomores Logan Blair and Quentin Lau lost 6-4 as the Mustangs took the doubles point.
“I think it was good that we got back into the match after the doubles and made it really competitive. When you get that close, though, you wanna come away with a win,” said head coach David Goodman.
Biola made a big push in the singles matches, starting with freshman Andres Meneses picking up a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win. James followed that up with a 6-2, 6-2 win of his own and Blair brought the Eagles even at 3-3 with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory.
“It always feels good to get a point for the team—that’s my job. But then my job is also to encourage all the other guys to get a win,” Blair said.
The last match to end came at No. 6 singles, and Garcia started strong with a 6-4 first-set win. However, the Garcia’s opponent rallied back and claimed the next two sets 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the 4-3 win for his team.
“It didn’t come down to just that match. It came down to other matches and not finishing out and not staying focused. We win as a team, lose as a team,” Goodman said.
The Eagles (5-4) continue play at home on Thursday against University of Rochester at 2 p.m.
