The UTD men’s tennis team kept a firm grasp on its unblemished regular-season record, aceing American Southwest Conference (ASC) opponent LeTourneau, 7-0, and dominating McMurry, 5-2, on March 6.
The home wins extended the Comets’ season mark to 3-0 with their only setback coming in a preseason exhibition match against Collin County Community College.
“I think we’re getting [where we need to be],” Head Coach Jeremy Morse said. “Every season is a work in progress, and I’m confident we’ll be competitive.”
Top-seeded senior Kevin Durten swept both of his opponents, as did second-seeded junior Kosta Dombrovskey, sophomore Phong Le, the No. 5 seed, and sophomore Shayne Rutherford, playing in the six slot.
Durten and Dombrovskey proved that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as they combined to overwhelm LeTourneau and McMurray in the doubles bracket, losing only one game all day.
Le and freshman Emmanuel Hernandez enjoyed similar success in their doubles matches, winning 8-2 and 8-6.
Morse credited the weekend’s success to hard work and overmatched opponents.
“We just had a good day,” he said.
Morse said he expects the matches against Mississippi College, Ozarks and UT-Tyler to be much more difficult tests.
Along with a resilient team effort in the opening matches of the season, UTD racketeers posted strong showings in the ASC Individual Championships.
Durten again was the headline-grabber for the Comets, advancing to the semifinals of the top-flight division before falling 4-6, 7-5, 11-13, to eventual champion Drew Brooks of Mississippi College in a tiebreaker.
Morse said he believes Durten has the ability to do well individually, as well as lead the Comets deep into the ASC tournament.
“He’s been a strong leader, and he brings a lot of dedication and experience to the team,” Morse said.
In other action, Dombrovskey lost his opening-round match but bounced back to advance to the consolation bracket finals.
In the second-flight division, Le and Rutherford both won their first matches before bowing out in the second round.