RACHEL HEDDLES | staff writer
After being rained out on Saturday, the Cougars enjoyed sunshine and triumph on Monday, March 1 as both the men and women’s teams battled it out against Cal Poly Pomona.
“Honestly, I expected a tougher match,” No. 1 doubles freshman Sheryl Bon said. Bon won 8-3 in her doubles match with partner Bay Daniels. The two women put forth powerful hits and exhibited beautiful teamwork and communication that earned them a significant victory.
No. 2 and No. 3 doubles also enjoyed significant victories. “I think they weren’t quite all there,” Bon said. “I’ve heard they’ve been playing a lot lately.” The men’s team had a remarkable doubles performance. Sophomore Matthijs Bolsius and sophomore Robby Dabbs played No.1 for the fi rst time and dominated in this position, ending their set 8-2.
Meanwhile, No. 3 doubles sophomore Ronald Chow and No. 3 doubles freshman Daniel Moore gave the match one of its most exciting moments during their doubles set.
The two Cougars and their opponents both played with strength and determination, passing the advantage back and forth until they ended up in a tie. Chow and Moore never let their intensity wane and
their persistence paid off with a victory in the tiebreaker. “They had a pretty good doubles team,” Chow said. “They were [like] twins and they played exactly the same.”
After the doubles matches were over, the Cougars proved they still had plenty of fi ght left in them and pulled off an equally praiseworthy singles sets.
No. 1 singles player Dabbs,known as “The Commander” among his teammates, lost 3-6 to a Cal Poly’s Joshua Lau in his set. Aside from this the team pulled off all victories, leaving players and spectators alike with a feeling of
joy and accomplishment. No. 5 singles sophomore Jan Friedrichs attributes the victory to the Cougars’ strong determination to win.
“We have such a strong desire for ourselves and for our team,” Friedrichs said. Chow also echoed this sentiment. “We win as a team and lose as team,” Chow said.
In this match, the victory was made even sweeter because the team as a whole, both men and women, was able to win together. The women made a clean sweep in their singles sets, bringing their fi nal score to 9-0. No. 5 singles junior Lindsey Cloninger played a long and persistent match, that, like Chow and Moore’s, came all the way down to an exhilarating tiebreaker.
Her win fi nished off the match and rounded off the score at 9-0.This match brought the women’s overall record to 8-1 on the season, and improved the men to 10-1. The Cougars have certainly proven themselves a powerful presence in the college tennis realm, as they held their own against non-conference teams in addition to dominating the GSAC schedule.
