Christopher’s No. 2 single player Geoffrey He gave his Everett Alvarez opponent all he could handle Thursday, but in straight sets, came up short.
He fell 7-6, 7-5 to Isaac Martinez in the longest match of the day for the Cougars and served as a metaphor for the day in general.
“Geoffrey really kicks into the game really well. He goes the distance with any player he plays,” said coach Patrick McBrearty “He’s got a lot of heart. I enjoy watching him play.”
Christopher forfeited two matches and needed to win four of five matches to pull off a team win, but despite the team’s efforts, it came up short.
“They really take it in stride, going in two matches down,” McBrearty said. “It’s kind of a given now with these guys, but they go in and play the best they can and that’s all I can ask of them.”
The Cougars were swept 7-0 and dropped all 10 sets they played. They now drop to 2-6 on the season.
Christopher’s forfeits came thanks to players being placed on grade restrictions and are forced to sit out until they can clear eligibility.
McBrearty said he hopes to have a full squad starting next week.
He had the best chance at stealing a set, going to the limit twice against his opponent, but all three of the singles put up fights in their first sets.
No. 1 player Destin Cockcroft and No. 3 Dominic Nguyen both nearly stole their opening sets, falling 7-6 and 7-5, respectively. However, they weren’t able to keep the pressure on in the second, as Cockcraft fell 6-3 and Nguyen went down 6-1.
Christopher forfeited the No. 4 singles match.
On the doubles side, the No. 1 team of Jesus Velasquez and Isaiah Rugerio fell 6-3, 6-1, followed by the No. 2 team of Tom Madruga and Alex Bardick who picked up just two games in a 6-2, 6-0 loss.
