The men’s tennis team won its third straight match on Friday, March 11, against William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. The Bisons then won two of the three doubles matches but dropped six singles matches and fell 7-2 to University of Nebraska at Kearney on Saturday, March 12, leaving the team with a 4-2 record on the season.
Harding’s No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams quickly put the Bisons ahead on Friday against William Jewell College.
Junior Neto Cacace and sophomore Adrian Torrico won 8-2 at No. 2, and freshman Chase Stumne and junior Brandon Hogland won 8-0 at No. 3. The victory was the third straight for Cacace and Torrico, who are now 7-4 this season.
Cacace said the good communication between he and his partner have contributed to the team’s sucess.
“He is calmer on the court, while I am very energetic and emotional, so I guess we complement each other,” Cacace said.
The No. 1 doubles team played in the closest match of the day, as sophomore Carlos Crisostomo and freshman Henrique Vieira pushed past Caul Pearson and Isaac Hamilton of William Jewell College 9-7.
The Bisons beat the Cardinals in singles, winning all six matches in straight sets, including five 6-0 sets.
On Saturday, Harding played University of Nebraska at Kearney, which is ranked No. 19 nationally.
Cacace, who played both doubles and singles against them, transferred to Harding at the end of his freshman year after playing at Nebraska-Kearney for a season. He said playing against them last year was strange, because the change was still recent and he was close to a lot of students on the team. However, he said he was able to use the weekend as a great opportunity to see some of his old friends.
The Bisons won two doubles matches but were defeated in all singles matches.
The Bisons are now 5-2 overall, and are set to play against Northwest Missouri State University on March 19.
“I think the team is very prepared for the upcoming games,” Cacace said. “The first two matches should not be extremely difficult compared to Northwest Missouri State, but I look forward to learning, despite the challenge.”
Harding has a 10-4 all-time record against UAFS. Northwest Missouri State University has a 3-2 series lead against the Bisons.
Results from Thursday’s game against the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith were unavailable as of press time.
