MOBILE, Ala. - It's a bit of a cliche in sports to say that the score doesn't always reflect the true character of a contest, but nowhere is this more true than in postseason tennis. Although William Woods (19-6) lost 4-0 to no. 2 seed Tennessee Wesleyan (21-1), the match was considerably closer than that on the court.

"Man am I proud of this team; they embodied all that is William Woods Tennis - family, fight and respect," said head coach Chance Joost. "They went down swinging and we had opportunities on a few courts. I know the score says 4-0 but it was shaping up to be a 4-3 type of match very quickly. What a way for these seniors to go out. I love this team and they will forever be cherished in my heart and mind. What a year. Go Owls!"

Woods jumped out to an early lead in doubles, with Vaclav Schneider and Vitek Subert picking up an early break point to lead 3-1 at the two line. Unfortunately the Bulldogs' pairing was able to rally for a comeback win. Ben Grumley and Zinovii Nahirniak were leading 5-3 at the one line with the hopes of tying the point at 1-1 but TWU was able to clinch at the three.

Grumley at the two and Nahirniak at the three each claimed first set wins for Woods in singles action, and despite losing the set, Stepan Mach pushed Patricio Gallegos to a 7-5 result at the four line.

As the second sets were in action, Andres De Los Rios Kolejewska tried to spark a comeback for WWU, rallying back to tie his match with a 6-2 win over David Leon after falling 6-1 in the first set.

Unfortunately, time ran out for the Owls as TWU clinched the match win.

William Woods finishes the 2023-24 season with a record of 19-6.

Match Results
Doubles
1 | Grumley, Ben/Nahirniak, Zinovii 5-3 (abd) Volpi, Octavio/Delcanto, German
2 | Rios, Zoilo/Leon, David 6-4 over Schneider, Vaclav/Subert, Vitek
3 | Gaia, Agustin/Magnarelli, Gregorio 6-3 over De Los Rios Kolejewska, Andres/Diedrichs, Felix
Order - 3, 2

Singles
1 | Volpi, Octavio 6-3, 6-0 over Schneider, Vaclav
2 | Grumley, Ben 6-3, 3-6, 0-1 (abd) Roi, Sabi
3 | Nahirniak, Zinovii 6-3, 2-4 (abd) Delcanto, German
4 | Gallegos, Patricio 7-5, 6-2 over Mach, Stepan
5 | Rios, Zoilo 6-4, 6-3 over Subert, Vitek
6 | De Los Rios Kolejewska, Andres 1-6, 6-2, 1-2 (abd) Leon, David