Bulldog Tennis Opens Season With Win

By Daniel Makarewicz

Dominant singles play carried the Highland boys’ tennis team to a season-opening 8-1 win over Mount Vernon on March 16. In six singles matches, the Bulldogs did not drop a set and lost 11 games.

“I thought the team looked good, especially for the first match of the season,” Highland coach Matt Pellock said. “Mount Vernon had some tough competition at the top of their lineup, but we handled it well.”

The four seniors – Tyler Kutz, Alex Roach, Ben Mitchell and Isaac Pasley – occupied the top four singles spots, respectively, and were victorious. Kutz and Roach paired for an 8-2 doubles victory and Mitchell and Pasley scored an 8-1 win.

“The seniors looked strong in both singles and doubles, which was nice to see them in some meaningful action,” Pellock said.

Sophomore Bryant Smith and freshman Will Lindsco rounded out the Bulldogs’ singles winners.

Highland then won two duals at the Triad Invitational on Saturday. The day started with a 5-0 loss to Geneseo before the Bulldogs earned a 5-0 victory over Peoria Christian and a 3-2 win over Paris.

“I thought we played well and looked composed in some difficult conditions,” Pellock said of the Triad Invitational.

Pellock indicated that the underclassmen – Smith, Lindsco, sophomores Finn Stever and Jack Meyer and freshmen Breckin Box and Thomas Mitchell – performed well in the tournament.

“Very encouraging,” Pellock said.