KEARNEY, Neb. — The Nebraska Wesleyan men's tennis team never found momentum Sunday afternoon, falling 7-0 to the University of Nebraska at Kearney in a nonconference match at Harmon Park Tennis Complex.
Nebraska Wesleyan dropped to 1-2 on the season, while the University of Nebraska at Kearney improved to 8-2. The match marked the first meeting between the in-state programs since the 2015-16 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The University of Nebraska at Kearney set the tone early by claiming all three doubles matches to secure the opening point.
The Lopers struck first at No. 1 doubles as Ivan Melnik and Alexandre Jaulin defeated Ian Armbrust and Sam Rademacher, 6-1. Minutes later, Ilan Fuentes and Cesare Carpano extended the lead with a 6-3 victory over Riley Voss and Ashton Rames at the No. 2 position.
The most competitive doubles contest came at No. 3, where Jakub Strzelecki and Yarona Morule held off Grant Guidry and Zac Briggs for a 6-3 decision to complete the sweep and give the hosts a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
From there, the momentum remained with Nebraska-Kearney.
Ashton Rames faced Melnik at No. 1 singles, while Armbrust took on Andy Brisdon at No. 2 and Voss matched up with Jaulin at No. 3. The Lopers secured straight-set wins across the top of the lineup to move closer to the team victory.
Zac Briggs battled Tom van den Dungen at No. 4 singles, and Glenn McChristian produced Nebraska Wesleyan's most competitive result at No. 5. McChristian fell 6-2, 6-2 to Morule. At No. 6, Strzelecki completed the sweep with a straight-set win over Rademacher.
Results
Doubles
No. 1 — Ivan Melnik/Alexandre Jaulin (UNK) def. Ian Armbrust/Sam Rademacher (NWU), 6-1
No. 2 — Ilan Fuentes/Cesare Carpano (UNK) def. Riley Voss/Ashton Rames (NWU), 6-3
No. 3 — Jakub Strzelecki/Yarona Morule (UNK) def. Grant Guidry/Zac Briggs (NWU), 6-3
Singles
No. 1 — Ivan Melnik (UNK) def. Ashton Rames (NWU), 6-1, 6-0
No. 2 — Andy Brisdon (UNK) def. Ian Armbrust (NWU), 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 — Alexandre Jaulin (UNK) def. Riley Voss (NWU), 6-1, 6-0
No. 4 — Tom van den Dungen (UNK) def. Zac Briggs (NWU), 6-0, 6-2
No. 5 — Yarona Morule (UNK) def. Glenn McChristian (NWU), 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 — Jakub Strzelecki (UNK) def. Sam Rademacher (NWU), 6-1, 6-0
UP NEXT
The Prairie Wolves return to action later this month, beginning a three-match road swing on March 26. Nebraska Wesleyan will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to face Grand View at 1 p.m. before continuing the trip later in the week.
