Leavenworth, Kan.— 

Men's:

The Spires rode a dominant doubles performance to a 6-3 victory over No. 21-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan this afternoon on a sunny day in Leavenworth, taking down the NAIA ITA ranked Eagles behind a clean sweep in doubles play.

USM seized early control by winning all three doubles courts. Nils Dueppe and Nudem Koyuncu started the day with a 6-3 decision over Gonzales-Leeks and Azehaf, putting Sthe Spires on the board early. Korbin Priestley and Evan Maritz followed with one of the tightest contests of the match, edging Braun and Alvado 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to secure a second point. The Spires completed the doubles sweep when the team of Mateo Dargel Argote and Carlos Grimaldi closed out a 6-2 win against Rose and Draper, sending their team into singles with a 3-0 cushion.

The Eagles responded in singles, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Gonzales-Leeks delivered a strong performance at the top of the lineup, defeating Dueppe 6-2, 6-0 to put the Eagles on the board. Braun added another point with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Maritz, and Azehaf continued the push with a 6-4, 6-1 result against Priestley as Oklahoma Wesleyan leveled the singles tally at three wins apiece.

The Spire singles lineup, however, found enough gas in the tank to close out the upset. Grimaldi produced one of the key wins of the day in a pair of tiebreak sets, edging Alvado 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) to preserve the Spires' overall lead. Koyuncu backed up his doubles victory with a straight-sets decision over Espinal, rallying from a tight first set to win 7-5, 6-0. Dargel Argote then capped a standout two-win day by dispatching Harrison 6-3, 6-2, officially locking in the team victory.

Dargel Argote and Grimaldi each finished the match 2-0, pairing their doubles win at the No. 3 with vital singles victories. Koyuncu also posted a perfect day with wins in both singles and doubles, underlining the depth and momentum in the middle of the Saint Mary men's lineup. For OKWU, Gonzales-Leeks, Braun and Azehaf accounted for all three singles points in straight-sets efforts.
 
Women's:

The Spire women fell 6–1 to Oklahoma Wesleyan in a hard-fought battle, closing the day with a strong performance from the bottom of the lineup as Courtney Standley delivered the team's lone point at No. 6 singles.

In doubles, the Spires pushed Oklahoma Wesleyan's top pair to a tiebreak at No. 1. The tandem of Mia Rojas and Shannon Finn battled to 6–6 in the set before falling 7–1 in the breaker for a 7–6 loss. At No. 2, Rowen Weimers and Monserrat Guerrero dropped a 6–2 decision, while Standley teamed with Arsys Rojas at No. 3 in a competitive 6–4 setback that completed the doubles sweep for the Eagles.

After Oklahoma Wesleyan swept all three at the open, the Eagles carried that momentum into singles, winning five of six courts to secure the team victory.

Singles play saw the Spires face a consistent, aggressive opponent across the lineup. At the top courts, Rojas fell 6–0, 6–1 at No. 1, and Finn extended her match to three sets at No. 2 before Oklahoma Wesleyan prevailed 6–1, 1–6, 6–3. Guerrero nearly added a second point for USM at No. 3, rallying from a first-set loss to take the second 7–5 and push the match to a deciding tiebreak, where she came up just short in a 6–2, 5–7, [10–8] decision.

Weimers dropped a 6–0, 6–1 result at No. 4, and Arsys Rojas fell 6–1, 6–1 at No. 5 against a deep Oklahoma Wesleyan lineup that converted its opportunities in straight sets on four courts. Despite the final tally, the Spires continue to produce stretches of highly competitive tennis, particularly in the tight contests from Finn and Guerrero in the middle of the order.

Standley earned a straight-sets victory over Cone at No. 6 singles, rolling through the opening set 6–0 before holding off a surge from Cone in the second. Courtney kept her focus in the tiebreak, closing out a 7–6 second-set win to finish the match 6–0, 7–6 and put the Spires on the board. Her win capped a day in which OKWU had already clinched the dual, but it gave the USM squad a positive result from the depth of the order and a building block to pursue in the week to come.

Coming up, USM looks to build off this strong momentum and the men look to continue their conference run with matches at Tabor College this Saturday, March 21^st. The Spires will take on the Bluejays beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Hillsboro.

The Spire men are currently 7-3 overall and a satisfying 4-0 in KCAC play, while the USM women currently sit at 4-4 overall and an even 2-2 in conference action. To keep up to date with all things NAIA tennis and to view individual or team rankings, please visit the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.