The men's tennis team lost in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship as Westminster College defeated Webster, 5-0, at Principia College (IL) on April 30. For the second year in a row, the tournament was scheduled to be played at the Webster Groves Tennis Center, but was moved to Principia's indoor courts for fear of inclement weather.
Webster had a SLIAC deja vu moment as it faced Greenville College (IL) in the quarterfinals for the second straight year, and for the second straight year had to win in the final three individual singles matches, entering them tied 3-3. Webster won the first two, with itse third participant retiring with the win in hand, for a 5-3 victory, just as it had one year earlier.
The Gorloks faced a very tough Westminster College squad, who finished first in the regular season, and were the defending tournament champions. Webster had given the Blue Jays a battle in an 8-1 loss on April 3 in a match must closer than the final score. But the Gorloks were worn down from the long day of tennis and an upset was not in the making as Westminster beat Webster by the same 5-0 score as in the 2010 championship match.
Despite the loss, the Gorloks had another good season as the program continues to improve. The win over Greenville set the school record for victories in a season with 13, edging the 12 wins in 2010. The team finished 13-6 on the year. Several individual milestones were reached as well. Ryan Fassler (JR, Lutheran South HS) set the Webster career record for singles victories, taking a total of 26 into the tournament.
Zach Papes (SR, McCluer North HS) set the Webster career mark for doubles wins with 21 entering the tournament, as he ended his four years playing for the tennis squad. Adis Beganovic (St. John the Baptist HS) was the only other senior on the team, and had 24 career singles wins and 19 doubles wins as he entered the tournament.
The future looks bright for continued improvement for the team as four of the top six singles players, three of them sophomores, will return, and five of the top six doubles players will be back as well.
