Another day, another victory for the Saint Ignatius varsity tennis team.

As the Cleveland Indians celebrated Opening Day, the Tennis Cats quietly celebrated a 5-0 sweep of a tough Hawken team at Cleveland State University, advancing to 5-0 on the year.

The win marks the second in as many days for a team hoping to continue the momentum into the opening round of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association (OTCA) Tournament tomorrow.

Arjun Brahmbhatt opened the contest with a brilliant victory in the No. 1 singles spot. The sophomore faced a very tough foe in Hawken's Ryan Leizman. The veteran defeated Brahmbhatt in set one, 6-4. The Wildcats' top singles player bounced back with a 6-4 victory, setting up a decisive third set. It would prove to be a thrilling showdown, with Brahmbhatt edging his foe, 10-7. 

"Arjun especially showed a lot of grit and came back against a very tough opponent at No. 1 singles," said head coach Bobbe Bennett.

Brian Zhu continued his excellent 2018 campaign, capturing victories of 6-3, 6-3 in the No. 2 spot. Drew Barclay picked up his second straight win, too, recording a 6-1, 6-2 score. 

The tried and true team of Richie Hofstra and Jack McNally thrived once again at the No. 1 singles spot on Friday. The duo tallied a 6-1, 6-3 victory. 

Jack Showman and Thomas Deucher wrapped up the Wildcats' fifth straight sweep in the No. 2 doubles match. Showman and Deucher locked up a 6-1, 6-2 triumph.

“The guys came out very focused today," Bennett said. "Hawken is a tough team and we really stepped up."

Following today's win, the Wildcats will face the Howland Tigers tomorrow at CSU at 1:30 pm in the opening round of the OTCA Tournament. 

JV Update: The JV Cats fell today to Hawken by the narrow score of 3-2. Here are the full results, courtesy of Coach Nick Siciliano:

1st Singles: Jack Burns lost 5-7, 6-4, 5-10
2nd Singles: Shay Tanna won 6-2, 6-7, 11-9
3rd Singles: Varun Ravichandran lost 6-3, 7-5

1st Doubles: Szubski/Apostolakis won 7-5, 6-4
2nd Doubles: Cindric/McNamara lost 6-2, 6-1