The Laguna Blanca Owls boys’ tennis team got the season off to a winning start with a 13-5 victory over visiting Santa Ynez on Tuesday.
Junior Ryan Purkait recorded a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 sweep playing at the No. 3 singles position, while junior/senior combo of Nic Richmond and Kevin Khodabandehlou swept 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
The Owls also got two of three sets from John-Henry Schulz in singles, as well as doubles pairings Rodrick Zhu/Owen Pryor and Ben Rodgers/Aiden Meisel. Senior captain Kai Nakamura took an important 7-5 victory at the No. 1 singles position, despite illness, and finished 1-1 on the day.
“To be honest, the first match of the season is always a bit of a question mark, so I was super impressed by the level my guys showed in this season-opener,” said Laguna coach Trevor Thorpe.
“There were six close sets that could have gone either way, but Laguna Blanca came up with the clutch points when they needed to,” said Santa Ynez coach Nate Thompson.
The doubles tandem of Colin Brady and Nick Aichinger won two sets for the Pirates.