Martlets Sweep

After splitting with Loomis on the WALKS Playday one week ago, today’s match seemed as if it would be far too close to predict, especially without our 5 and 6, home with the flu. It turns out that Loomis was also missing a player. In any case, the Black and Gold got off to a strong start, winning the first games at 4, 6, and 7. At 6, Jason Hu ‘25 kept his momentum going and won easily in three. Kai Appleton ‘24 who came up from the JV earned a W at #7 with a solid 3-1 victory. At 4, Co-capt. Gabe Lugo ‘23 won his second game in a very tight match. Even up 2-0, it was clear that this one could go either way. A Loomis win would even the match at 2-2, but Lugo stayed in control and slightly ahead as he won the final game by the smallest of margins. Up 3-1, things looked good for the team. When Co-capt. Julio Palomino Perez ‘23 and James Teng ‘26 both won in three, the match was decided. Mason Abbate ‘24 had started slowly and climbed his way back into his match, but ultimately succumbed, making the final score 5-2. 

Even as the Loomis match was finishing, Appleton took the court again and earned a second win on the day, giving the team an early lead. At 2, Andrew Pang ‘24 lost his first game and was growing frustrated, having lost three close games earlier. He settled down and let his strong game emerge. Using all four corners with precision, Pang gritted out an overset win to tie his match and followed with two more tough games. Both players were depleted. Hu found himself in a barn burner of a match. His opponent was running down the most improbable of shots. He dove for a few gets, lunged and volleyed with quick hands and intense determination. Hu was a bit rattled and allowed a 7-2 lead in game two to turn into an 8-10 deficit. He was trying to do more to end the points sooner, rather than just staying in control and allowing his opponent to run to all four corners. Somehow Hu pulled out game two and settled down a bit to win in three. Lugo lost his first game, but adjusted his game plan and held on for a nice win. The second round of matches all went in straight games. Abbate got his W for the day, while Teng and Palomino-Perez both won for a second time. Teng played a stout opponent who was as fast and talented as he was big, football big. Nonetheless, Teng kept control of most points to make the match final score 7-0.