Union-Bulletin

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Whitman College men's tennis team burnished its national standing on Saturday with a 5-4 victory over No. 9 Trinity (Texas) in a battle of ranked teams at the Stag-Hen Invitational.

Whitman, ranked No. 19 to start the week, claimed fifth place in the two-day power-packed tourney and improved its season record to 9-3.

Whitman got the early jump on the Tigers, winning two of three matches in doubles.

Junior Connor Holton-Burke and sophomore Andrew La Cava bolted to a dominating 8-2 victory over Bobby Cocanougher and Cory Kowal at No. 1 doubles.

Whitman also got the win at No. 2 doubles, where senior Etienne Moshevich and sophomore Jeff Tolman scored an 8-5 win over Max Frey and Erick DelaFuente.

Senior Quin Miller and sophomore Matt Tesmond put up a good fight at No. 3 before dropping an 8-6 decision.

Miller and Tesmond saved two match points to draw within a game at 7-6 before their Trinity counterparts, Don Murray and Ben Carroll, came up with a service break to get the win.

With the match up in the air, the six matches were a battle from top to bottom.

After Moshevich and Tolman got wins at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, sophomore Adriel Borshansky scored the clinching fifth team point with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Murray at No. 6.

Moshevich downed DelaFuente 6-3, 6-3 at No. 3 while Tolman was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Kowal at No. 4.

Holton-Burke, playing at No. 1 singles, dropped a 7-5, 7-6 decision to Frey, and senior Chris Bailey lost 6-2, 7-6 to Greg Hausen at No. 5.

Cocanougher got the win for Trinity at No. 2 singles, beating La Cava 6-0, 6-2.

Whitman, in the midst of a Spring Break trip to California, takes Sunday off before playing three more matches on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Whitman 5, Trinity 4

SINGLES - Frey, Trin, def. Holton-Burke, Whit, 7-5, 7-6. Cocanougher, Trin, def. La Cava, Whit, 6-0, 6-2. Mosehevic, Whit, def. DelaFuente, Trin, 6-3, 6-3. Tolman, Whit, def. Kowal, Trin, 6-2, 6-4. Haugen, Trin, def. Bailey, Whit, 6-2, 7-6. Borshansky, Whit, def. Murray, Trin, 7-5, 6-1.

DOUBLES - Holton-Burke/La Cava, Whit, def. Cocanougher/Kowal, Trin, 8-2. Moshevich/Tolman, Whit, def. Frey/DelaFuente, Trin, 8-5. Murray/Carroll, Trin, def. Miller/Tesmond, Whit, 8-6.