The defending national champion Bowdoin College men’s tennis team got its 2017 season underway with a pair of wins this past Sunday in California. The Polar Bears (2-0), ranked second in Division III entering the spring campaign, defeated Chapman 9-0 before downing 24th-ranked Skidmore 6-3.

Bowdoin wasted little time dispatching Chapman in its season debut, sweeping all three doubles matches to carry a 3-0 lead into singles play.

The squads of Kyle Wolfe/Jerry Jiang, Gil Roddy/Justin Patel and Luke Carstens/Aidan McGrory all took wins in the doubles lineup. Luke Tercek won by retirement at No. 1 singles while Grant Urken, Carstens, Patel, Luis Cuervo and McGrory all won in straight-sets to complete the win.

In a considerably more competitive match against Skidmore, Bowdoin scrambled to gain a 2-1 edge following doubles play. Gil Roddy/Justin Patel won convincingly at No. 3 (8-4) and the team of Wolfe/Jiang (9-7) won a hard-fought battle at No. 2.

In singles play, Bowdoin got straight-set wins from Roddy (6-0, 6-0) and Jiang (6- 1, 7-6) while Wolfe (6-2, 4-6, 6- 2) and Urken (6-4, 3-6, 6-3) grinded out three-set wins to cap the Polar Bear victory.

Women

IRVINE, Calif. — The Bowdoin women’s tennis team opened the 2017 spring season with a commanding 8-1 win over Vassar on Sunday afternoon at University High School in Irvine, California.

The fourth-ranked Polar Bears (2-0) knocked off the unranked Brewers (5-2) in the opening match of their spring break road trip.

The Polar Bears swept doubles to open the match. Joulia Likhanskaia and Sam Stalder posted a dominating 8-0 decision at No. 1. Pilar Giffenig and Tess Trinka combined for a win at #2 (8- 4) while Sarah Shadowens and Sasa Jovanovic earned a point at No. 2 (8-3). Bowdoin picked up five points in singles play. Likhanskaia went 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 and Stalder won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2. Trinka and Shadowens each picked up 6-0, 6-2 wins at numbers three and four respectively. Jovanovic picked up at point at No. 6 with a 6-0, 6-2 win.