Solid Team Effort For Saints In 2-0 Opening Weekend
The Seward County Saints showed why they are ranked #6 nationally Saturday afternoon in Fremont, Nebraska as they opened up the 2015 season with a two wins over NAIA competition, downing both Doane and Midland by 6-3 counts to start their season 2-0.
Ronzai Saurombe and Vitor Galvao got the Saints their first point of the 2015 season, winning easily by an 8-1 count at #1 doubles in their match against Doane. The Tigers bit back though, picking up wins at both #2 and #3 doubles to grab a 2-1 lead on Seward going into singles play.
Doane picked up an early 6-1, 6-0 victory in #5 singles and it looked like the Saints were in trouble, down 3-1, but they didn't let the deficit stop them as 14th ranked Vitor Galvao earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at #2 singles and 39th ranked Des'mne Curtis took down Tyler Johnson 6-2, 6-2 at #4 singles to draw the Saints even at 3-3. Saurombe picked up where he left off his freshman season in which he was named the ITA Rookie of the Year, bringing home a 6-4, 6-1 win at #1 singles to put the Saints on the brink of victory and #6 man Dominique Apsley secured the win, knocking off Dom Murray 7-5, 6-4 to give Seward a 5-3 lead. The match of the day came at #3 singles where 31st ranked Felipe Casares came from behind, outlasting Joe Lloyd 5-7, 6-0, 11-9 to wrap up a 6-3 win for the Saints.
#6 SEWARD COUNTY/DOANE RESULTS
In their second match of the day against Midland University, Saurombe and Galvao once again cruised in their #1 doubles match as the #7 ranked duo in the country buried Logan Messinger and James Kinzler 8-2 to give Seward an early 1-0 lead. Midland answered back with an 8-2 win in #3 doubles, but Casares and Curtis teamed up to give the Saints a 2-1 lead in the match after they bounced Shawn Chacon and Geo Satama 8-6 in #2 doubles play.
Galvao was up 4-1 in #2 singles play before his opponent, Satama, was forced to retire due to injury, giving the Saints a 3-1 lead overall. Casares quickly added to that lead, winning 6-0, 6-1 over Nico Arguello in #3 singles and Saurombe won a 6-2, 6-1 match in #1 singles to secure the match for the Saints. Christian Kurz also picked up a win for the Saints at #5 singles to wrap up a solid 6-3 victory for the guys in green.
#6 SEWARD COUNTY/MIDLAND RESULTS
The Saints open up 2015 2-0 and will have a while to celebrate the wins as they will be idle for the next six weeks, without a single match in the month of February before hitting the court once again on March 7-8 in Odessa, Texas when they take part in the West Texas Shootout.