The day started with an unexpected outcome, one that would fill many fans with worry. The Tigers lost in doubles versus Rice, including a 4-6 loss by No. 60 Ronald Hohmann and Rafael Wagner, which could knock them out of the rankings.
Coach Chris Brandi wasn’t too concerned about that though and even stated that it was a good opportunity for the team to prove itself in other aspects.
“I was actually really pleased when we lost doubles,” Brandi stated. “It was a great opportunity for us to show that we don’t have to win doubles to win a match. Honestly, we were confident even after losing doubles.”
They would take advantage of that opportunity by performing extremely well in singles, especially their underclassmen. In the midst of the great performances by underclassmen was another strong freshman debut, as Benjamin Ambrosio won both of his singles matches on the day.
Brandi was excited about Ambrosio’s performances, men to what his skill level will be in the future.
“For Ambrosio, it was his first match, and he was nervous,” Brandi said. “But he did a good job and found a way, then he did a good job in the second match too. He certainly is not playing as well as he hopes or will be playing in the future.”
Along with Ambrosio, freshman Tom Pisane also earned multiple wins in singles. This came after a tough loss in tiebreakers versus UTSA last weekend.
“It was tough against UTSA, losing the tiebreaker in the third set, but I think I bounced back really well and improved my level today,” Pisane said. “I played really well on the important points and was mentally there, which was the most important thing today.”