SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The top-seeded Trinity University Tigers men’s tennis team won its 11th straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship with a 5-2 decision over the No. 2 Southwestern University Pirates at Trinity’s Butch Newman Tennis Center.
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Trinity (14-7 overall, 12-0 against NCAA Division III opponents), also registered its SCAC record 25th conference title. The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA West Region, will receive the conference automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Southwestern (14-2, 13-2 against D3 opponents), No. 2 in the region, awaits a possible at-large bid to the NCAA postseason event.
The two teams met in the finals for the sixth consecutive occasion. The SCAC event was last played in 2019, after all spring sports championships were cancelled last year due to COVID.
The Tigers led 2-1 after the doubles competition. Trinity’s Christian Settles and Hao Nguyen, ranked seventh in the NCAA West Region, were first off the court with an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles over Drew Shuvalov and Carlos Rodero.
The Pirates evened the count at 1-1 as Vesko Lekovic and Hunter Bajoit took the second line 8-5 over Cameron Krimbill and Alessio Azzalini.
Trinity took the lead by winning No. 3 doubles as Jordan Pitts and Wilson Hamilton defeated Alexander Joseph and Anton Borovik 8-5.
Settles gave the Tigers a 3-1 edge by winning the sixth line of singles 6-3, 6-2 over Borovik. Pitts increased the lead by winning the fifth line 7-5, 6-1 in a pairing with Steven Tibbetts.
Southwestern kept in the fight by winning No. 1 singles as Hunter Bajoit, ranked seventh in the region, beat top-ranked Cameron Krimbill 6-4, 6-3.
The clincher for the Tigers came at No. 2 singles as ninth-ranked Azzalini outfought Joseph 7-5, 7-6 (3).
The third line match between 12th-ranked Nguyen and Lekovic was halted after the clinch. Nguyen took the first set 6-4, and the second was tied at 3-3 when the match was called.
Hamilton and Rodero split sets on the fourth line. Rodero took the first set 6-3, and Hamilton countered by winning the second by the same score. The third set was even at 1-1 when the dual match was suspended.
TRINITY 5, SOUTHWESTERN 2
May 2, 2021 at San Antonio, Texas (Blossom Tennis Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Hunter Bajoit (SW) def, Cameron Krimbill (TU) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2. Alessio Azzalini (TU) def. Alexander Joseph (SW) 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) |
| 3. Hao Nguyen (TU) vs. Vesko Lekovic (SW) 6-4, 3-3, unfinished |
| 4. Wilson Hamilton (TU) vs. Carlos Rodero (SW) 3-6, 6-3, 1-1, unfinished |
| 5. Jordan Pitts (TU) def. Steven Tibbitts (SW) 7-5, 6-1 |
| 6. Christian Settles (TU) def. Anton Borovik (SW) 6-3, 6-2 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Christian Settles/Hao Nguyen (TU) def. Drew Shuvalov/Carlos Rodero (SW) 8-1 |
| 2. Vesko Lekovic/Hunter Bajoit (SW) def. Cameron Krimbill/Alessio Azzalini (TU) 8-5 |
| 3. Jordan Pitts/Wilson Hamilton (TU) def. Alexander Joseph/Anton Borovik (SW) 8-5 |
| Match Notes |
| Southwestern 14-2; 5-1 |
| Trinity 14-7; 5-0 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,5,1,2) |
UP NEXT
Trinity will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs with the win. Southwestern will await the NCAA selection show announcement for a possible bid to the NCAA Playoffs.
The NCAA will announce team selections May 10, and the first three rounds will be played May 14-16. The team quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship, along with the singles and doubles tournament, are set for May 24-30 at Chattanooga, Tennessee.
