The Joplin High School boys tennis team defeated Glendale 5-4 on Monday.
The Eagles earned their first win of the spring season and are now 1-1.
“Glendale pushed us and made the match close,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “It was nice to see our doubles teams communicating with one another. For singles, even in the matches we lost, the guys played some good games.”
Joplin won two of three doubles matches.
At No. 1 doubles, Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson defeated Zachary Allen and Burhan Khan 9-7.
“Logan Merkley was consistent with his serve and kept the ball in play,” Stump said. “Jeffrey Evenson did a nice job putting points away at the net.”
Glendale’s Carson Johnson and Jack Barnes defeated Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion 8-4 at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 3 doubles, Joplin’s Josh Yarnall and Michael Mancipe defeated Andre Murray-Joshua Kalista 8-2.
“Josh and Michael continue to work with consistency,” Stump said. “They are communicating well, which helps them win longer rallies.”
Joplin and Glendale split the six singles matches.
At No. 1, Allen defeated Merkley 8-5. Joplin’s Evenson beat Johnson 8-3 at No. 2.
“Jeffrey was landing some nice serves, which helped set up his points,” Stump commented.
Glendae’s Khan beat Wardlow 8-5 at No. 3, but Joplin’s Yarnall topped Barnes 8-4 at No. 4.
“Josh was able to position the ball well, which helped him win a lot of his points,” Stump noted.
Murray beat Mancipe 8-1 at No. 5 singles, but Joplin’s Vermillion earned an 8-5 win over Kalista at No. 6 singles to clinch the dual victory for the Eagles.
“Colin capitalized when the ball was hit short, incorporating a mix of spin and angles,” Stump said.
Joplin plays Webb City at 4:30 on Tuesday at Millennium Family Fitness.
