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On a Cold Day in Akron, Tennis Cats Breathe Fire in a 5-0 Win

By Joe Ginley '12 , 04/05/19, 12:30PM EDT

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Nate Day used his backhander to win in two sets.

Cold weather greeted the Saint Ignatius varsity team after a 40-minute bus trip down I-77 to Copley High School.

In a Thursday afternoon matinee, the Wildcats fired out to a hot start and never looked back. The men of Ohio City rolled to a 5-0 sweep of Copley, winning each set of all five matches.

With the win, the Wildcats stand at 3-0 after one week of competition. 

Occupying the No. 1 singles spot, Nate Day enjoyed a great afternoon on Thursday. The sophomore utilized his strength and athleticism to card a 6-0, 6-1 win. Day remains undefeated on the year.

Kai Vesikallio earned his second win in a row in the No. 2 singles match. The freshman burst out to a 6-1 win in the first set before experiencing a steeper battle in the second set. Vesikallio still took care of business, claiming a 6-3 victory.

Drew Barclay wrapped up the final singles win in the most hard-fought match of the day. Copley's Holden Schmid posted a fierce effort, but Barclay etched a 6-3 win in the first set. The second stanza also proved to be a protracted war, ended by Barclay with a 6-3 triumph. 

The doubles contests featured different duos of Wildcats. Head Coach Bobbe Bennett combined Jack McNally and Thomas Deucher in the No. 1 doubles spot, and Kenny Li and Michael Nock in the No. 2 doubles slot. The pairings paid off. 

McNally and Deucher ran into little trouble in a quick contest. The savvy senior-junior pair handled the Copley challenge with grace, sliding to a 6-1, 6-1 conquest.

Li and Nock, the more youthful pair, flew just as highly. The sophomore-freshman combo flowed to a 6-1, 6-0 victory in two sets for the Wildcats.

“The guys played well in the cold weather today," Bennett said after the match. "We are starting to settle in and play some good tennis. Next week will be a good test with some tough matches to gauge where we are."

The Tennis Cats will have three dual matches in an action-packed weekend. The fun begins on Monday with a game vs. Walsh Jesuit at home at Magnificat at 4:30 pm. North Canton Hoover will also pay a visit to Magnificat on Tuesday. The lone road match will be vs. the Preppers at University School. The week concludes with the Medina Doubles Tournament next Saturday. 

The JV Cats will have four matches next week – at Walsh Jesuit on Monday, at North Canton Hoover on Tuesday, at Hawken on Thursday, and vs. University School on Friday. Guided by coach Josie Miller, the JV Cats will look to stay unbeaten.