FRESNO, Calif. — Jessup University men's and women's tennis teams hit the road for a challenging PacWest doubleheader this weekend, taking on the Fresno Pacific University Sunbirds at the Haak Tennis Complex.
On the men's side, the Warriors fell 6-1 but found a bright spot courtesy of Joren Stevens. Competing at the premier No. 1 singles position, Stevens delivered a phenomenal performance to secure Jessup's lone point of the afternoon, taking down FPU in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.
The action started in doubles, where the Sunbirds quickly gained the upper hand to secure the opening point. At the No. 1 spot, Stevens and Mario Curiel were defeated, 6-1. On court two, Caleb Poling and Tanner Sitanggang dropped a 6-3 decision. The No. 3 doubles flight, featuring Henrique Levy and Lucas Pham went unfinished with FPU holding a narrow 4-3 edge.
In singles play, Fresno Pacific's depth proved difficult to overcome. Curiel (No. 2) and Lucas Pham (No. 3) both battled hard but fell by identical 6-2, 6-4 scores to Seelbach and Gonzalez, respectively. Sitanggang dropped a 6-2, 6-3 match at No. 4, while Leo Pham fell at No. 5, 6-2, 6-2.
The match of the day unfolded at No. 6 singles, where Poling engaged in an absolute marathon. After narrowly dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, Poling completely dominated the second set, defeating his opponent 6-3 to force a deciding 10-point super tiebreaker. In a tense back-and-forth finale, Poling ultimately came up just short in a heartbreaker, falling 7-6, 0-6, 10-8.
The Jessup women faced an uphill battle from the start, operating with a structural disadvantage that forced them to automatically concede points at No. 3 doubles and the bottom two singles flights. FPU capitalized on this depth to secure a 7-0 sweep.
In doubles action, Jessup's top pairing of Briana Smith and Giselli Reschke battled from the opening serve but dropped a 6-0 decision to FPU. On court two, the senior tandem of Rylie Maloney and Danielle Akabane put up a fight before ultimately falling 6-1.
Transitioning to singles play, Fresno Pacific maintained their momentum across the active courts. At the top flight, Smith fought through tough rallies but was bested by, 6-0, 6-0. At No. 2 singles, Reschke was able to steal a game in the second set but eventually fell to Fabiana Gaitan, 6-0, 6-1.
Maloney took the court at No. 3 singles, grabbing a couple of hard-fought games in the second frame before dropping a 6-0, 6-2 decision to Metz. Rounding out the active lineup for the Warriors, Akabane competed at No. 4 singles, bowing out to a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Both squads will look to regroup and finish strong as they continue their late-season push toward the PacWest Championships.
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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).
