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| Nathan Devereux |
The College of Wooster men's tennis team commenced its five-match Spring Break trip in California on Friday, March 18 with a doubleheader against Vassar College and Biola University before taking on eighth-ranked University of Redlands on Saturday evening at Redlands, Calif.
Against Vassar, the Fighting Scots (4-9) went into singles play down 2-1, with the senior tandem of Jack Buchan and Davis Elkins marking the lone point at No. 1 with an 8-0 win.
In a tightly contested set of singles matches, three of the six went to third-set super tiebreakers. First-year Nathan Devereux was among those who went the distance, winning 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (8) at the No. 4 spot in the final match to wrap up.
At No. 3, Elkins won his opening set, 6-2, before falling 0-6 in the second and 3-10 in the third. Sophomore Jesse DeWitt won his opening set 7-6 (3) at No. 4 before dropping the next two, 0-6 and 0-1 (1).
Later in the day, Wooster traveled to Biola, a NAIA program with three nationally-ranked singles player and one doubles pair, as the Scots were swept 9-0.
In doubles, Buchan and Elkins lost 5-8 to the 11th-ranked team of Derek James and Lucas Lee. First-year Craig Deng and DeWitt battled to a tiebreak at No. 3 doubles, but ultimately lost 8-9 (6).
In singles play, each match went in straight sets. Buchan lost 2-6, 2-6 to 37th-ranked Phil Westwood while both Elkins and DeWitt lost at No. 2 and 3, respectively, to nationally-ranked competition. Dropping at the four and five spots were Devereux and Long, both by 1-6, 2-6 scorelines. At No. 6, Deng lost 1-6, 0-6.
On Saturday at No. 8 Redlands, Buchan fought his way through a tightly-contested 4-6, 4-6 loss at No. 1 to the 25th-ranked singles player in the nation, Chase Lipscomb. The remainder of the singles lineup fell in straights, including Elkins at No. 2 (2-6, 0-6), DeWitt at No. 3 (4-6, 1-6), Devereux at No. 4 (1-6, 1-6), junior Andrew Long at No. 5 (0-6, 0-6) and Deng at No. 6 (1-6, 0-6).
In doubles action, the duo of junior Titas Bera and DeWitt earned three games on regionally-ranked Lipscomb and Bradley Cummings but ultimately lost 3-8. Succumbing by the same scoreline at the top spot was Buchan and Elkins, and at No. 3, Devereux and Long lost 0-8.
Up next, the Scots travel to Los Angeles, Calif. for bouts against St. Lawrence University and Sewanee on Monday, March 20.