Men’s Tennis Caps Match in Thrilling Fashion, Sweeps OCC
It was a windy, overcast day for the Riverside City College men's tennis team's return to its home courts as they took on the Orange Coast College Pirates in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action. Despite the murky weather conditions, it was smooth sailing for the Tigers as they cruised to a 9-0 victory to push their record to 2-0.
There were minimal hiccups throughout the entire match as the doubles set the tone with three quick victories.
Top tandem Aurelien Arlot and Florian Sirven reigned supreme once again with an 8-2 win, while sophomore Chris Lee and freshman Justin Rigsby handled the second position with an 8-1 win.
Freshman tandem Noah Canones and Elliot Burer had their first taste of collegiate action and won by the final score of 8-3.
Singles cruised for the most part, but a match sweep road on the back of sophomore Jacob McMahon,
After dropping the first set 2-6, McMahon rallied back to take the final second set 6-1. A back and forth tiebreaker ensued with McMahon having a chance to end it on multiple occasions, but missed slightly on numerous shots.
However, the sophomore dug deep and rallied to force his teammate long thus handing him the 15-13 set win and the match.
"It was pretty tense, but it was very intense," said McMahon. "There were several times where I could have ended it earlier, but my opponent was a good player and I kept fighting."
Arlot continued to dominate at the top position with a 6-0, 6-2 win, while freshman Rafael Rullan followed with a 6-2, 6-1 win.
Riverside (2-0) will continue action at home on Tuesday, April 27 at 2 p.m. No spectators are allowed at the match due to COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
