3/19/10 - Royals Put up a Fight Versus George Fox

By Stephanie Coats

Indian Wells, CA- In a non-conference match-up, the Royals made the long journey to play George Fox University on a neutral court. While the day would finish with the Bruins ahead 9-0, no one can say the Royals went down easily. Every Royal brought their best game, including Freshman Christian Booher who had a very strong showing in both his matches.

Starting on the doubles court, Booher paired with Freshman Greg Cobian to face off against Matthew Gardner and Luke Pritchard. The match remained close, with both sides putting all their effort into each point. Booher and Cobian earned five game wins and did their best to hold off their opponents. Gardner and Pritchard would slip past though, and take the match 8-5.

A similar match played out at the No. 2 doubles position, which featured Freshman Jerry Laureano and Sophomore Henry Valiente. The teammates battled Josh Williford and Garrett Thompson, and surprised the Bruins by winning five games. Laureano and Valiente would come up short and lose the match 8-5 to the Bruins.

Fresh off his doubles win, Thompson was ready to complete his day with a singles win as well. However, Booher was determined to prevent just that. Though the first set went to Thompson, the second set proved to be more of a challenge as the two players jockeyed for control. Keeping the scores close, the set was tied at 5-5, forcing one of the men to win by two. Booher was able to come out ahead 7-5, and prepared to seal his victory in the decisive third set. Playing in a tiebreaker, the set could not have been tighter, and Booher was unyielding in his offense and defense. He forced Thompson to earn every point, but could not keep his opponent from slipping past. Booher would concede the match 2-1 (6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)).

Freshman Nathan Deghi also found himself in a tense singles match. Earlier, Deghi had teamed with fellow Freshman Justin Sutherlin for a doubles match. Through sheer strength, the teammates were able to get a game off of their opponents Chris Schoon and Ryan Scheidler, but would eventually lose the match 8-1. Returning to the courts to once again face Scheidler, Deghi was looking to even his record against the Bruin. With impressive game play, he would push the first set to a 5-5 tie, forcing Scheidler to prove he deserved the set victory. Deghi tried to hold him off, but was brought down 7-5. Making it clear he was not going to go down without a fight, Deghi continued to play with determination. He would win three games in the second set, yet wound up losing the well-played match 2-0 (7-5, 6-3).
                            
In other singles news, Laureano proved his injury from yesterday was not going to stop him from giving his all. Racking up three game wins in each of his sets against Williford, Laureano pushed to claim a set win as well. Williford would not back down however, and Laureano would lose 2-0 (6-3, 6-3). Valiente took three games from Juan Munoz, but could not add more to his record. He would fall 2-0 (6-3, 6-0), while No. 1 singles player Cobian finished out his day versus Nick Jenness. Seizing the chance to earn his team a match win, Cobian fought hard and scored two game wins in each set. That would not be enough to take down Jenness, and Cobian would go down 2-0 (6-2, 6-2).

George Fox 9, Hope International 0

Singles

1. Nick Jenness (GFU) def. Greg Cobian (HIU), 2-0 (6-2, 6-2)
2. Juan Munoz (GFU) def. Henry Valiente (HIU), 2-0 (6-3, 6-0)
3. Josh Williford (GFU) def. Jerry Laureano (HIU), 2-0 (6-3, 6-3)
4. Chris Schoon (GFU) def. Justin Sutherlin (HIU), 2-0 (6-0, 6-0)
5. Garrett Thompson (GFU) def. Christian Booher (HIU), 2-1 (6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8))
6. Ryan Scheidler (GFU) def. Nathan Deghi (HIU), 2-0 (7-5, 6-3)

Doubles

1. Matthew Gardner/Luke Pritchard (GFU) def. Cobian/Booher (HIU), 8-5
2. Williford/Thompson (GFU) def. Valiente/Laureano (HIU), 8-5
3. Schoon/Scheidler (GFU) def. Sutherlin/Deghi (HIU), 8-1

The win for George Fox gives them a record of 5-8. Though today ended in a loss for the Royals (0-12, 0-7 GSAC), their performance versus the Bruins should be a source of encouragement. The Royals will need all their skills tomorrow when they take on NAIA No. 6 Vanguard in an away match.

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