VENTURA, Calif. — Jessup University men's and women's tennis teams hit the courts at the Ventura College Tennis Center on Friday for a PacWest conference matchup against Biola University. Despite showing resilience and pushing several matches to the brink, both squads ultimately fell to the Eagles, 7-0.

For the men (0-5), the action kicked off with tightly contested doubles play. The No. 1 duo of Joren Stevens and Mario Curiel were engaged in a back-and-forth battle, coming up just short in a 5-4 defeat. Biola was able to secure the opening doubles point with victories in the No. 2 and No. 3 slots, defeating Tanner Sitanggang and Caleb Poling (6-3) and Lucas Pham and Leo Pham (6-2).

Moving into singles action, the Warriors saw flashes of brilliance and several thrilling, tightly contested matchups. The highlight of the afternoon came in the middle and back half of the lineup, with three Warriors pushing their opponents to deciding sets.

At No. 2 singles, Mario Curiel battled back after dropping the first set to force a marathon third-set tiebreaker before narrowly falling, 6-2, 6-7, 10-8. Leo Pham engaged in a grueling three-set battle at the No. 4 position, taking the opening frame before succumbing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Caleb Poling followed a similar path at No. 6 singles, winning his first set 7-5 but eventually falling in a deciding tiebreaker, 5-7, 6-0, 10-2.

At the top of the lineup, Stevens competed at No. 1, falling 6-2, 6-2, while Lucas Pham fought hard at No. 3 before a 6-3, 6-4 defeat. Sitanggang rounded out the lineup at No. 5, falling 6-0, 6-2.

On the women's side, the Warriors (0-8) faced an uphill battle against a formidable Biola (6-3) squad while continuing to navigate the season with a short roster, resulting in a forfeit at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.

The Eagles took control early in doubles, securing the point with a 4-2 win at No. 2 doubles over Jessup's Rylie Maloney and Maria Antonella Cardenas, and a 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles against Briana Smith and Giselli Reschke.

In singles action, Maloney provided resistance in the middle of the lineup, taking several games at the No. 3 spot before falling 6-1, 6-3. At the top flight, Smith competed hard but was defeated 6-1, 6-2, and Reschke dropped her matchup at No. 2 by a score of 6-2, 6-0. Rounding out the lineup on the court were Danielle Akabane at No. 4 and Cardenas at No. 5, who fell 6-0, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.

Men's tennis will host Cal Lutheran on March 15th for a non-conference faceoff. While the women will welcome the Hawaii Pacific Sharks on Tuesday, March 10th for a PacWest matchup. 

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About Jessup University Athletics Jessup University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).