MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles men's tennis team kicked off their 2023-2024 slate Saturday afternoon at the Powless Tennis Center. They faced off against the Dubuque Spartans. In a tense affair, the Spartans (2-0) claimed a slim 5-4 victory over the Eagles (0-1).

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Caden Nelson and Andrew Hoffmann kicked things off on the right foot for Edgewood College, earning an 8-6 victory as the top doubles pairing.
 
- Jon Olafsson and Marek Woytasik teamed up for their first doubles action as Eagles. They fell in second doubles to Alexander Hardin and Ryan Kiddle 8-6. Ethan Towne and William Faley wrapped up doubles with a loss as the no. 3 to Ryan Linkie and Dawson Freese.
 
- Edgewood College pushed to match point with victories in the top three singles matchups. Nelson won 6-3, 6-1 as the no. 1, with Olafsson grabbing a 7-5, 6-3 final as the second seed. Hoffmann rounded out the top three, securing a 6-3, 6-1 final.
 
- Woytasik hung tough in the fourth slot, falling 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to Linkie, while Town fell 7-6 (7-0), 6-1 in sixth billing.
 
- Alton Robinson battled to the very bitter end as the no. 5 singles player. After taking set on 6-3, his opponent rallied with a 6-1 win to force a tiebreaker. He came up just short in the end, dropping 1-0 (15-13) to Kiddle.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Olafsson's victory in singles was his first as an Eagle in his first appearance with the team.
 
- The loss snapped a three-match winning streak over Dubuque, who holds a 4-3 series lead.
 
UP NEXT
Edgewood College hosts a twin bill of Iowa squads next Saturday at the Powless Tennis Center. First serve against the Loras Duhawks is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. before the Eagles battle with the Cornell Rams at 3:30 p.m. This will be the first time Edgewood College and Cornell meet in men's tennis, while the Duhawks claimed the lone previous outing over the Eagles.