GREEN BAY, Wis. – Augustana suffered its first defeat of the 2014 men's tennis season on Saturday, February 8 with a 7-2 loss to Luther at the Western Racquet Club in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Vikings picked up an 8-1 win over St. Norbert earlier in the day at the same location.
 
Augustana is now 3-1 on the season and will host Grinnell and St. Ambrose on Saturday, February 15 at the Quad City Tennis Club. The Vikings will play Grinnell at 9:00 a.m. and St. Ambrose at 3:00 p.m.
 
AUGUSTANA 8, ST. NORBERT 1
 
The Vikings were impressive in beating the Green Knights in the first match of the day by a score of 8-1. A 3-0 sweep of the doubles competition keyed this victory, which was cemented by wins in five of the six singles.
 
Junior Lawrence Palmer (Schiller International School, El Prat de Llobregat – Spain) and senior Andy Wall (Notre Dame Academy, De Pere, Wis.) won at number one doubles by a score of 8-5 over Tim Hartwick and Travis Buechel. Seniors Kevin Bayles (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.) and Colin Arnold (Sterling HS, Sterling, Ill.) beat Nate Gosz and Casey Brice 8-6 at number two. Augustana's number three team of sophomore Austin Schoeck (Rock Island Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and freshman Connor Woolf (Evanston HS, Evanston, Ill.) easily defeated Leon Gilman and Josh Sweere 8-2.
 
Palmer defeated Hartwick at number one singles by scores of 6-2; 6-2 and Bayles beat Buechel 6-3; 6-3 at number two. Arnold won over Sweere at number three 8-2.
 
The lone loss for the Vikings came at number four where senior Grant Wick (Windsor HS, Fort Collins, Colo.) flee to Gosz 0-6; 6-2; 6-10.
 
Sophomore Patrick Lenz (Villanova Prep, Ojai, Calif.) took care of Gilman 7-6; 6-3 at number five and freshman Jonathon Elsey (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) beat Ryan Schmit 6-3; 6-3 at number six.
 
LUTHER 7, AUGUSTANA 2
 
Luther, coached by former Augustana head man Adam Strand, handed the Vikings their first defeat of the 2014 season by the score of 7-2. The Norse won two of the three doubles and five of the six singles matches.
 
The number one doubles team of Palmer and Wall took an impressive 8-2 win over James Ayer and Quinn Foley but the number two team of Arnold and Bayles lost a tough 9-7 decision to Ramush Karki and Kyle Appel. The Vikings number three team of Woolf and Schoeck went down 8-2 to Tersten Jystad and Isaiah Mayeshak.
 
Bayles picked up the lone singles win when he defeated Appel at number three by a score of 6-4; 3-6; 11-9.