Gustauvs Results  |  Morningside Results

ST. PETER, Minn.  – The Bethel University men's tennis team split a pair of matches on Saturday as they are now 6-2 on the season.  The men fell 9-0 to Gustavus before rebounding to take a 9-0 victory of their own over Morningside College.
 
"We got out to a slow start in the doubles against Gustavus but the guys bounced back with some extremely close matches in singles and competed extremely well all day," said head coach Drew Fernelius.
 
The Royals started the day against the Gusties losing all three doubles points but were able to take five games in the No. 2 match that featured Jakob Bartels and Brett Lizotte.  Heading into singles play down 3-0, the Royals produced several close matches but could not come away with victories.  Matt Schull put up a strong fight in the No. 1 slot as he ultimately fell 6-3, 6-3 to Mohanad Alhouni, the No. 4 ranked singles player in the nation.  The Royals would go on to grind out several other close sets but perennial MIAC powerhouse proved too much to handle on this occasion.
 
In the second match of the day, the Royals came back with a 9-0 win over the Morningside Mustangs, an NAIA school from Iowa.  Kolin Kiekhoefer and Hunter Fernelius highlighted doubles play for the Royals, taking an 8-0 triumph in the No. 3 match.  Bethel would go on to sweep the remaining doubles contests before maneuvering their way to six more match wins in the singles.
 
"I'm proud of the guys for finding the energy to bounce back and defeat a solid a NAIA school with some talented players," said Fernelius.
 
The Royals will be back on the court next Sunday at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville for another doubleheader as they take on Carleton and the University of Minnesota Morris.