File photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm's Joey Cotten returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles match May 2 at New Ulm High School.
NEW ULM — The New Ulm Eagles defeated the Waseca Blue Jays 7-0 on Friday, ending the Big South Conference men's tennis schedule with a perfect 7-0 mark.
Maverick Johnson, ranked No. 1 in singles, started the day by defeating Tyler Herran 6-4, 6-3. And at No. 3 singles, Gideon Heins defeated Otto Schoenrock 6-1, 6-4. The Eagles continued their winning streak after the No. 3 doubles team of Isaac Dittmar and Eli Dorschner defeated Lucas McQueary and Brayden Hoof 6-4, 7-6 to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
However, the next three of the four matches did not start the way the Eagles had hoped, with the No. 2 singles, No. 1 doubles, and No. 2 doubles all dropping the first set.
Charlie Weidman, the No. 2 singles player, went down early, losing a close first set 5-7. He fought back and won the second set 6-3. In the deciding set, he defeated the Eagles 6-4.
The No. 1 doubles duo of Joey Cotten and Daniel Brownfield also got off to a slow start against Dominique Granske and Oliver Lauer, dropping the first set 3-6. However, Cotten and Brownfield fought their way through the second set and won 6-1. In the crucial third set, Cotten and Brownfield won a back-and-forth battle 7-6.
“We haven't played against Waseca yet this season, but they are undefeated, so I knew it would be a good matchup.” Cotten said.
The second doubles team of Aaron Black and Ethan Neate lost the first set 6-3 with an early loss to Tanner Hanson and Keenan Collins, but rallied in the second set to win 6-1. . The third set was a bit close at 6-4, but Black and Neet pulled out the win.
Ian Shotsko, ranked No. 4 in singles, got off to a good start with a 6-1 win over Armand Batty in the first set, but struggled in the second set and lost 6-0. He rallied in the third set to win 6-4 and complete the sweep of the Eagles.
“This game and the weather reminded me of the St. Peter's game, only colder. [against St. Peter],” Eagles head coach Peter Engeldinger said. “We won the first three matches quickly, but we lost the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles early. Looking back, they took the lead in the second set and were pulling away.”
The Eagles (9-4, 7-0) travel to Prior Lake for the team section quarterfinals on Tuesday.
