Written by David Youngs
SAINT PETER, Minn. – Welcoming seven of the nation’s top teams on to its home turf this weekend for the ITA Indoor National Championships, the Gustavus men’s tennis team knew it had daunting tasks ahead of them.
After a nail-biting loss to the nation’s top team, University of Chicago on Friday, the Gusties proved they could hang with the country’s best.
Tonight, they proved they could beat them.
Using immaculate doubles play to set the tone, the No. 17 Golden Gusties downed No. 8 and tournament No. 5 seed North Carolina Wesleyan 8-1 on Saturday night at Steve Wilkinson Tennis Complex.
Live to Volley, Volley to Live
After a heart-breaking loss to the nation’s best squad on Friday night, the Gusties’ top doubles tandem of Nick Aney (Sr., Rochester) and Daniel Fouchier (Sr., Nootdorp, Netherlands) responded in textbook fashion, rolling to an 8-4 win to get the party started.
Aney and Fouchier, who’ve only played four matches together as a team, relied on big serves, crisp volleys, and a pair of service breaks to notch what would turn out to be Gustavus’s most decisive doubles win on the night.
Yet in tennis a win is a win, especially when squaring off against one of the nation’s heavyweights.
Seasoned veteran Alex Budde (Sr., Menomonie Falls, Wis.) and young talent Gage Gohl (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) proved that to be true with a gutsy 8-7 (3) win at the two spot. After getting down 3-6 early, the duo rallied on Budde’s heavy serve, Gohl’s quick hands at the net, and all-around rock-solid returning to run the table and guarantee a majority of doubles wins for the Gusties.
Yet, if two is cake, three is the icing.
With all eyes on court three, senior doubles standout Sourab Terakanambi (Apple Valley) and Marco Siviero (So., Sao Miguel de Oeste, Brazil) came in clutch when it mattered most, fighting off four match points and securing a Gustavus doubles sweep with an 8-7 (9) win.
A program known for its net prowess and aggressive doubles play, the Gusties are now 25-7 in dual doubles matches this season, sweeping all three doubles matches in eight respective duals.
Two for the Win, Five is Gravy
Using his silky groundstrokes and swift footwork, Josh Christensen (So., Rochester) put the Gusties within one win of a clinch with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles. After going 13-3 in his freshman campaign, the southern Minnesota product is off to a 4-1 start to his 2023 spring campaign.
And with a myriad of singles matches going the distance, the final nail in the coffin came at No. 6 singles courtesy of Alex Budde’s forehand.
Returning serve with a 7-5, 5-3 lead, Budde crushed a crosscourt forehand winner on his return of serve to give the Gusties their biggest win of the 2023 season.
Following the clinch, Aney notched a comeback win at the top singles spot to bolster the Gusties’ win count to six. After dropping the first set, Aney tamed his heavy topspin forehand back into the court to win the second set 7-5 and super-tiebreaker 10-6.
Fouchier also grabbed a win at No. 4, grinding out an identical super-tiebreaker score in 6-3, 4-6, 1-6 win.
Siviero capped off the final win of the evening for the Gusties. Given that his match was already deep in the third set when the overall match was clinched, the sophomore standout finished the set 6-3, ending the night with a bang.
Coach’s Corner
Head Coach Tommy Valentini was excited with how his squad performed on Saturday night following a competitive match against the University of Chicago on Friday.
“The guys put together a fantastic match in all phases tonight,” he said. “After last night’s tough result we knew it would take a big effort to be ready and the guys came through in a big way. UNCW had a lot of firepower and they competed hard.”
Valentini praised all six members of his doubles core for their impressive performance and ability to pull through in difficult situations.
“I was thankful for how we welcomed the pressure and we were fortunate to come through across the board in doubles. Nick and Daniel showed great trust in their game to get us rolling. Gage and Alex stayed the course beautifully and played a great breaker to get us the second point and Marco and Sourabh embraced the moment and came up with some fantastic shots to get us to three. Getting the sweep in doubles created some huge momentum for us, but we had to sustain a strong push from UNCW in singles. Again, our entire team rose to the occasion. We’re thankful for a good result against a high quality opponent, but more thankful for how we competed.”
With less than 24 hours until their final match of the weekend, Valentini is excited for the Gusties to build off of the win and turn the page.
“We have a quick recovery and turnaround for tomorrow, but we’re very much looking forward to the challenge. Indoors is special and we’re excited to embrace it for one for day.”
Up Next
Saturday evening’s victory will give the Gusties a chance for their best ITA Indoor Championships finish since 2019, when the Black and Gold swept tournament host Case Western Reserve for a fifth-place finish.
Gustavus will match up against No. 10 Emory tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in Saint Peter for the 5th-6th place matchup. The Gusties faced off against the Eagles in the opening round of the 2020 ITA Indoor Championships, losing 7-2.
Singles
| 1. Nick Aney (GACM) def. Tshepo Mosarwa (NCWM) 2-6, 7-5, 10-6 |
| 2. John Falke (NCWM) def. Indraneel Raut (GACM) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 3. Marco Siviero (GACM) def. Diego Segovia (NCWM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 4. Daniel Fouchier (GACM) def. Augusto Roca (NCWM) 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 |
| 5. Josh Christensen (GACM) def. Vittorio Noli (NCWM) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 6. Alex Budde (GACM) def. Sean Keane (NCWM) 7-5, 6-3 |
Doubles
| 1. Nick Aney/Daniel Fouchier (GACM) def. John Falke/Tshepo Mosarwa (NCWM) 8-4 |
| 2. Alex Budde/Gage Gohl (GACM) def. Sean Keane/Diego Segovia (NCWM) 8-7 |
| 3. Sourabh Terakanambi/Marco Siviero (GACM) def. Albert Sitwell/Juan Agustin Rivas (NCWM) 8-7 |