The Augustana men’s tennis team (15-4, 1-0) opened their 2019 CCIW season with a sweep against North Central on Saturday, April 6, winning 9-0.
The Vikings also accomplished a 7-2 win over non-conference St. Francis on Saturday morning before the North Central meet. The team is now on a six meet win streak.
Before the team’s doubleheader, Augustana expected two tough matchups. The Vikings knew it could be a challenge to play North Central, their fellow CCIW team. Although North Central just came off of a CCIW win against Illinois Wesleyan, the Vikings didn’t let that intimidate them.
Senior captain Jack Morkin talked about their preparation heading into their first CCIW meet of the season.
“North Central has always been a tough team,” Morkin said. “They’re well coached and the players have a lot of energy. We need to match their energy, go out and take care of business on the court.”
The Vikings began by winning all three doubles matches to put them at an early advantage. They finished the meet by winning all six singles matches. 
The week prior to this matchup, Augustana was named 11th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region. That same week, the Vikings then beat the number 10 ranked Grinnell on Saturday, Mar. 30.
Even though this ranking is the highest Augustana has recently reached, junior captain Scott Daluga said the team doesn’t let the rankings define them.
“We are excited about our ranking climbing but we realize that it’s just a number and doesn’t actually give us an advantage on our opponents,” Daluga said. “We have to come out every match and not use that number as a crutch.”
Heading into conference, Morkin said the team was confident with their playing after having a successful first part of their season.
“We’ve beaten all the teams that we expected to beat and we’ve beaten a few teams that we were hoping to beat,” Morkin said. “The team has been improving as the season has gone on and we’re looking to carry this success into conference.”
Last season, the team made school history by competing in their first NCAA tournament after they clinched the CCIW championship for the first time since 1985.
After having a successful 2017-18 season, the Vikings set similar goals for their new season but with improvements in mind.
“This year obviously going to nationals again is a goal, but now that we have been there, we can try and use our previous experience and try and win more than just a round at nationals,” Daluga said.
The Vikings have less than a month away until the CCIW Championship tournament, which starts Thursday, May 2. After Augustana plays the University of Chicago on Wednesday, April 10, they will compete in their second CCIW matchup at Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, April 13.
Featured Image: Augustana Sophomore Sriram Sugumaran, bumps the ball over the net at the Augustana Vikings match against the North Central College Cardinals at the Augustana College Tennis Courts. April 6, 2019. Photo by Ian Murrin.