February 22, 2012
San Antonio – The St. Mary’s tennis courts welcomed home Marcin Marczewski as he swung into an extra set Wednesday to close out a victory over Midwestern State in singles, but his power alone wasn’t enough with the Rattlers picking up the loss, 1-8.
Marczewski (Sr., Warsaw, Poland) saw his extended game with opponent C. Meeks, whom he outlasted in the match 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) match, picking up St. Mary’s (0-5) lone point for the day.
But Meeks didn’t just meet Marczewski on the singles’ court. The Rattlers’ top aces Marczewski and Jake Williams (Sr., Dallas) teamed up to face Meeks and M. Urban in doubles, having another point for St. Mary’s within reach. But they fell just short, 9-7.
Starting to become more comfortable on the Rattler court in his first season, freshmen Mateo Martinez (San Antonio) almost had a comeback story Wednesday after his first set went 6-3. Martinez then charged back, threatening the Mustangs to see another three-set match before being halted in a 7-5 loss. Carlos Olea (So., Matamoros, Mexico) shared a similar story, improving to 7-5 in his second set after falling 6-1 in his first.
Playing in a fierce conference, the Mustangs represent the Lone Star Conference, giving St. Mary’s a taste of competition across the board once more. After trekking on a journey of upper-division opponents in the first five matches of the spring season, the St. Mary’s men’s tennis team will finally face a contender within the Heartland Conference. And they will see if their strategy of challenging top competitors has paid off.
The Rattlers’ first conference match of the spring season is set for Saturday against rival St. Edward’s in Austin, Texas at 10 p.m.