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by Matt Bourgault – Sports Reporter
The Creighton men’s tennis team opened Missouri Valley Conference play trying to beat Wichita State for the first time in four seasons. Unfortunately for the Jays, their losing streak continued as Creighton fell 0-7 Saturday in Wichita.
Each doubles match was contested, but Creighton could not come up with a single win. The closest match of the afternoon came in the No. 2 doubles spot, as junior Kyle Obermeier and senior Bryan Lube fell 6-8. The Shockers sealed the doubles point by defeating sophomore Ryan Norman and junior Gabe Nagy 8-4.
The Jays attempted to rebound during singles play, but they came up short in each of their matches. Sophomore Billy Paluch led off in the No. 1 spot for the Jays, where he was unable to beat his opponent 4-6, 4-6. Creighton looked stronger toward the end of the afternoon, as Nagy played well in his 4-6, 4-6 defeat. Norman won the only singles set, but it was too little, too late for the Jays’ No. 6 man. He fell 4-6, 7-6, 4-7, third set tiebreaker.
The Creighton men’s tennis team will try to forget its road woes as it returns home for a match on Saturday. The Jays will be taking on South Dakota State University in the first of three straight home matches.
The Creighton women’s tennis team’s first Missouri Valley Conference match also happened to be its first road match of the season. It was not able to carry over their home success, however, as the women’s team suffered the same fate as the men falling in Wichita, 0-7.
The Jays put up a fight early, with freshman Analese Snyder and sophomore Anna Kirshenbaum coming close in No. 1 doubles, but ultimately falling 6-8. Senior Lauren Mastro and junior Mary McMullan also had a rough time keeping up with the Shockers, as they lost 3-8 in the No. 3 doubles spot.
Times got even tougher for Creighton during the singles matches. Mastro was overwhelmed 0-6, 2-6 facing Wichita State’s No. 3.
As the day rolled on, things did not get any easier. McMullan lost 1-6, 1-6 in No. 4 singles. Seniors Sarah and Leesa Cadwallader were unable to save a point for the Jays, falling to their opponents 0-6, 3-6 and 0-6, 2-6, respectively.
This loss comes before the Creighton women’s tennis team starts a five-game home stretch. Two of those games are this weekend, against Eastern Michigan University Friday afternoon and South Dakota State University Saturday night.