Panther tennis opens with loss to Red Oak

RED OAK — Though the Panthers lost at Red Oak in their opening tennis dual Tuesday, they were able to snag two wins from the Tigers.

Senior Malachi Webber won his No. 6 match against sophomore Damian Goodman 8-3. Webber was also on the winning doubles team with fellow senior Ben Rushing. The No. 3 doubles duo defeated Goodman and Jackson Perdue 9-7 in extra games.

“Malachi Webber getting his first Varsity action and getting two wins on the night was a highlight for our team,” coach Kevin Cooper said. “He and Ben did a great job coming back in doubles.”

No. 3 Carson Beer and No. 4 Dylan Dornack were competitive in their singles matches, Beer losing 8-5 to junior Ethan Strunk and Dornack falling in extra games, 9-7.

Wesley Wires lost the No. 1 match 8-2 against Kaleb Sebeniecher. Tim Bartlett (No. 2) and Ben Rushing (No. 4) both lost their singles matches 8-1.

In doubles, Wires and Bartlett lost the No. 1 match 8-3 while Beer and Dornack fell in the No. 2 match 8-1.

“It was great to get to play our first event of the year against Red Oak,” Cooper said. “The dual didn’t end up the way we wanted to, but it exposed what we need to work on as we progress through the season.”

The Panthers’ scheduled match at Atlantic Thursday was postponed with a makeup date yet to be determined. They are scheduled to host Audubon this afternoon at the Bill Sears courts.