The men's tennis team opened conference play with a hard-fought 5-4 win over El Camino College on the road.  The Eagles were led by freshman Isaac Morales who swept both his doubles and singles matches.  ECC jumped out to a 2-1 advantage after doubles play was completed, but the Eagles were able to come back and post victories in 4 of the 6 singles matches. Sophomore, Ashton Vega, had to retire his match in the third set of his match due to a knee injury.  Both Fermin Blando and Fernando Arguello notched impressive come from behind wins in their respective matches.

Coach Cory Page;  "I was extremely pleased with the mental toughness the guys showed today in a tough road match.  There were a ton of lead changes and our guys battled through all of it. ECC had a solid home crowd on hand and they were cheering their players on throughout the 3 hours which made for a great, competitive, environment."

Fermin Blando added,  "I was really happy to get this win today. I am glad I was able to turn things around in the second set."  

The Eagles (6-1, 1-0) are back in action next Thursday when they will host Palomar College in a non-conference match.

Score Lines:

Singles-

1. Fermin Blando (MSJC) def. Jordan Alexander (ECC) 2-6, 6-2, 10-8
2. Ignes Kirkila (ECC) def. Julian Valencia (MSJC) 6-2, 7-5
3. Fernando Arguello (MSJC) def. Daniel Hermosisima (ECC) 3-6, 6-3, 10-8
4. Isaac Morales (MSJC) def. George Barinov (ECC) 6-2, 6-2
5. Andre Dinh (ECC) def. Ashton Vega (MSJC) 1-6, 6-2, retired
6. Cody Rodriguez (MSJC) def. Nolan Kawabata (ECC) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles-

1. Alexander/Kirkila (ECC) def. Blando/Arguello (MSJC) 8-6
2. Valencia/Morales (MSJC) def. Hermosisima/Dinh (ECC) 8-2
3. Barinov/Rothenberger (ECC) def. Vega/Rodriguez (MSJC) 8-2