The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

    Netters go 2-2 in California

    The men’s tennis team has arrived home from its spring break trip to California. They brought back two wins, two losses and zero dollars won during their visit to the “Price is Right”.

    The men played the University of La Verne (Calif.), College of New Jersey, Pomona College (Calif.) and California Lutheran University. Both New Jersey and Pamona are ranked nationally.

    “It was a nice blend of competition,” coach Tracy Saloka said. “Some matches were well within our control and there were others where we had to work for everything.”

    The Blugolds started off the trip with a 5-2 decision over La Verne, which gave Eau Claire its sixth straight victory. The Blugolds won all but one of their singles matches in the contest.

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    The ‘Golds fell to College of New Jersey, 5-2. The loss ended the six-match winning streak for the Blugolds.

    “New Jersey had some great singles talent, one through four and they dropped off from five through six,” freshman Matt Widder said. “Our No. 3 doubles team has been playing really well as of late.”

    Junior Bob Yunker and sophomore Andrew Kalio made up the doubles team that was put together late, just before the beginning of the season. They claimed victory against New Jersey, 8-5, in an eight-game pro set.

    The Blugolds suffered a 7-0 lossto Pamona in their third match in California. Junior Joe Johnston and freshman Jon Snodgrass were able to claim victory at No. 1 doubles by beating the No. 14-ranked doubles team in the nation.

    “Now those two know what it takes to play at the higher level,” Saloka said. “I have seen them play some really great points in the past. This time, they maintained that higher level of play and came out successful.”

    The ‘Golds ended their trip on a strong note with a 7-0 shutout of California Lutheran University.

    Eau Claire claimed its fifth-straight win in a dual match vs. Winona State (Minn.) with a 5-4 decision. The teams split the six singles matches with Eau Claire winning two of the three doubles matches to claim the victory.

    To gain a split in singles, the Blugolds won both of the three-set matches with sophomore Ryan Gruhlke winning at No. 3 and Snodgrass at No. 4. Snodgrass improved his singles record to 5-2 with the victory and, more importantly, clinched the win for the team.

    “Jon’s (Snodgrass) match came down to the wire,” coach Tracy Saloka said. “Both players knew that the winner of their match would decide which team won that day. (Snodgrass) battled it out for us. It was a good experience for him, especially as a freshman.”

    The men’s tennis team will play at home Saturday against Ripon College and Macalester College (Minn.) at McPhee. The Blugolds face Ripon at 8:30 a.m. and Macalester at 2:30 p.m. Ripon and Macalester square off at noon.

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    Netters go 2-2 in California