Tiger tennis team advances all players to quarterfinals

In search of its first national title since 1991, the No. 1-ranked Cowley College men's tennis team got off to the kind of start they wanted at the NJCAA Division I National Championships played in McKinney, TX, as they advanced all six singles players and its three doubles teams to the quarterfinals with wins on Tuesday.

After receiving byes in the opening round, Cowley did not drop a set in round two. The Tigers dropped only six games in six sets of doubles and were led by sophomores Hanamichi Carvajal and Taiyo Hirano, winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 and 6 singles, respectively.

"It was a great start to the tournament by the entire squad," Cowley head coach Manuel Raga said. "The guys are playing really aggressive tennis and showing a lot of energy on and off the court."

Quarterfinal action will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Courts of McKinney Tennis Center.

"We will use this time to recover now and get ready for tomorrow," Raga said. 

Results:

DOUBLES

*No. 1 – Bruno Nhavene/Takeshi Taco (CC) defeated Sam Miyata/Brandon Telle-Marty (Paradise Valley) 6-0, 6-2.

*No. 2 – Hanamichi Carvajal/Taiyo Hirano (CC) defeated Guido Loayza/James Wassell (Coastal Alabama) 6-1, 6-1.

*No. 3 –Boruch Skierkier/Reiya Komagata (CC) defeated Macarthur Swain/Ian Williams (Jacksonville) 6-1, 6-1.

SINGLES

*No. 1 – Taco (CC) defeated Tomas Nader (Jones College) 6-2, 6-4.

*No. 2 – Skierkier (CC) defeated Franco Vedda (Jacksonville) 6-1, 6-2.

*No. 3 – Nhavene (CC) defeated Franco Toscano (Paradise Valley) 6-4, 6-1.

*No. 4 - Carvajal (CC) defeated Jacob Runnels (Hinds) 6-0, 6-0.

*No. 5 – Komagata (CC) defeated Tanner Bevard (Jones College) 6-1, 6-2.

*No. 6 – Hirano (CC) defeated Nick Scroppo (Prairie State) 6-0, 6-0.