A competitive few days (April 24-25) saw the Cyclones finish in a three-way tie for fourth place at the NJCAA Region 4 Men's Tennis Championship.
The first day of competition was heavy with the singles matches. Malachi Soto at No. 4 and Zachary DeMarco at No. 6 each won their initial matches. Soto battled through a three-set tiebreaker with all close sets to advance to the next round, which he lost. In the battle for third place overall, Soto faltered on some key points and lost 3-8 for fourth place. DeMarco won his first match solidly before falling in the second. His third place matchup was tight, and he was narrowly edged out 7-9 for fourth place. At the end of the day, the Cyclones sat in sixth place overall.
The next day was on to the doubles matches. At No. 3, Dylan Roberts and DeMarco advanced to the third place match. They won their first game 6-2, 6-3 before being swept in the second and relegated to the third place bracket, where they fell 1-8 for fourth place. Zack Johnson/JoNick Coleman at No. 1 and Erik Astranskas/Soto at No. 2 both played to third-set tiebreakers with strong comebacks in the second set. Johnson and Coleman nearly knocked out their competitors, but came up just short, 8-10.
After a decent day at doubles, the Cyclones moved into fourth place with Oakton College and McHenry County College to end the season.
SINGLES
No. 1- Zack Johnson (1-6, 3-6)
No. 2- JoNick Coleman (1-6, 3-6)
No. 3- Erik Astranskas (1-6, 0-6)
No. 4- Malachi Soto (6-4, 4-6, 10-7) (1-6, 0-6) (3-8- third place match)
No. 5- Dylan Roberts (4-6, 2-6)
No. 6- Zachary DeMarco (6-1, 6-2) (1-6, 1-6) (7-9- third place match)
DOUBLES
No. 1- Johnson/Coleman (2-6, 7-5, 8-10)
No. 2- Astranskas/Soto (3-6, 6-0, 4-10)
No. 3- Roberts/DeMarco (6-2, 6-3) (0-6, 0-6) (1-8- third place match)