Box score #1Box score #2MOLINE, Illinois – The Prairie Fire fell to Greenville College and St. Ambrose University in a triangular at the Quad City Tennis Club on Saturday.
Knox came out on the wrong end of a 6-3 score against Greenville. Seniors
Walter Palmer (Wilmette, IL, New Trier) and
Karl Ruzgas (Downers Grove, IL, Downers Grove North) continued their strong play and accounted for the three wins against the Panthers.
Palmer cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory against his #1 singles opponent, Nate Wieland. Ruzgas posted a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over Jonathan Urshan in their #2 singles match. First-year
Ashwin Kushwaha (Rochester, MN, Mayo) battled but couldn't get over the hump against Greenville's Alex Dowley, who escaped 7-6 (6) in the first set before prevailing 6-1 in the second to take the #3 singles match.
Palmer and Ruzgas downed Urshan and Dowley 8-2 for their seventh straight #1 doubles victory.
In the late match, host St. Ambrose defeated the Prairie Fire 8-1. Palmer earned hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (6), 1-0 (7) win at #1 singles against Mitchell Schumacher of SAU.
Palmer and Ruzgas dropped their first doubles match of the season 8-6 as the Bees took all three contests.
St. Ambrose beat Greenville in the other match between the three teams.
Knox, after six consecutive road matches, returns home to play Adrian College on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Lakeside Recreational Facility in Galesburg.
