Photo by Bobby R. Hester
Photo by Bobby R. Hester

No. 2 Men’s Tennis Edges No. 5 Cypress in Conference Showdown

In a battle of top-ranked teams, it came down to a number four singles match after the No. 2 Riverside City College men's tennis team and the No. 5 Cypress College Chargers found themselves locked in a tight match. Sophomore Sami Akouz (Perpignan, France) came in clutch and clinched the match with a three set victory (7-5, 3-6, 6-2) at the number four singles leading to a 5-4 victory over the Chargers.

With the victory, the Tigers move into sole possession of first place in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) by boasting an undefeated record both overall and in conference.

Freshman Kayne Trustfull (Amsterdam, Netherlands) held down the top singles slot and reigned supreme in two sets by the final scores of 6-3, 6-4. Freshman Thomas Pidoux (Perpignon, France) followed suit at the number two singles with a two set victory with scores reading 6-4, 6-2.

Akouz was the deciding match in his three-set thriller, while freshman Miles Clark (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) dominated at the number five with a 6-1, 6-2 win.

The Tigers (13-0, 4-0 OEC) will face off against the Irvine Valley College Lasers (3-6, 3-1 OEC) on the road on Thursday, March 8th at 2 p.m.