GRINNELL, Iowa – Two three-set losses in singles proved to be the difference as Augustana dropped a 6-3 decision to Grinnell on Sunday, March 11 at the Bear Center in Grinnell, Iowa. The Vikings went to 8-7 on the season while the Pioneers moved to 8-2.
 
Augustana fell behind 2-1 after the doubles portion of the meet. The freshman team of Caio DeRezende (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Tim Friberg (Lund, Sweden) picked up the lone point for the Vikings when they won 8-4 at number three doubles over Ishaan Tibrewal and Zach Lane.
 
At number one doubles the senior team of Samuel Totten (University HS, Normal, Ill.) and Eric Pohl (Fremd HS, Palatine, Ill.) dropped an 8-2 decision to Sriram Sugumaran and Ben Cobin. The number two doubles match went to the Grinnell team of Sam Sickles and M.Conlin-Brandburg by a score of 8-1 over junior Jack Morkin (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) and Peter Alex (Hinsdale South HS, Darien, Ill.).
 
Trailing 2-1 heading into the singles matches, the Vikings needed four wins to pull out the team victory. They had success at number one and two singles. DeRezende defeated Sugumaran 1-6; 6-2; 7-6 at number one and Totten beat Lane 6-2; 6-2 at number two.
 
Tough three-set losses at numbers three and four singles proved to be the difference. At number three Alex fell to Sickels 5-7; 7-5; 4-6 and Pohl dropped a 2-6; 7-5; 1-6 decisions to Cobin at number four.
 
Morkin fell 2-6; 3-6 to Conlin-Brandenburg at number five and freshman Guilherme Calixto (Presidente Prudente, Brazil) lost 6-7; 0-6 to Tibrewal at number six.
 
Augustana will be off until Saturday, March 24 when the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin season opens with a match at Elmhurst. Later that day Head Coach Jon Miedema will take his team to Lake Forest for a non-conference match against the Foresters.