Men’s tennis makes second round

The PUC men’s tennis team competed in the first round of the CCAC tournament on  April 25 against Calumet College of St. Joseph, snagging a victory to advance to the second round.  Sadly, there they would fall to nationally ranked Olivet Nazarene University.

The team played an evening match in the first round against the Crimson Tide of CCSJ and won by a score of 8-1.  Sophomore Matt Radencic and freshman Jeff Stooksbury won No. 1 doubles by a score of 9-7, and the pair of sophomore Jaime Alvarez and freshman Parth Patel won No. 2 doubles en route to the victory.

“The aspect of both doubles matches that helped us pull out the win was the focus and concentration in the final points of the set,” Radencic said.

The team also scored wins in No. 2, 3 and 4 singles play.

“We felt good with the matchups of Calumet College because we played well against them in the season,” Radencic said.

The playoff victory pushed PUC to a record of 4-8 on the season.  It also marked the first playoff win in the history of the young PUC tennis program.

“It feels amazing to advance to the second round of the playoffs,” Radencic said.

The men intended to squeeze out a few more wins and would have liked to carry their season deeper into the spring.  The farther into the playoffs they went, though, the tougher the competition got.

“Even though it's the same sport, the atmosphere is more intense,” Radencic said.  “More people come to watch, and every shot means more.”

The win sent PUC to the semifinal match against No. 1 Olivet Nazarene University, which was played on April 27 in Bourbonnais, Ill.  The opposing Tigers took the match by a score of 5-0.

“We knew that it was going to be an extremely tough match, going to the No. 1 seed's home courts,” Radencic said.  “But we knew that we didn't have anything to lose against that team in particular.”

The loss put an end to the team’s second season.  They finished the year with a record of 4-9.

“The most memorable part of the season was probably winning the match against Calumet to reach the semifinals of the conference tournament,” said Radencic.  “My partner, Jeff, and I particularly had to overcome adversity. We hit the shots when we needed to.”

Several of the players intend to hit the courts over the summer to stay sharp and are all looking forward to getting back together and competing in the fall.