Johnson Men’s Tennis Battles Through Southeastern ITA Regional

The Johnson University Royals men's tennis team competed this past weekend at the Southeastern ITA Regional, facing off against some of the top NAIA players from 14 different schools across the region. The tournament provided strong competition, but the Royals left with several notable victories and valuable experience.

Freshman Lennart Kleeberg (Berlin, Germany) opened his college career on a high note, defeating his opponent from Shawnee State University in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Kleeberg later battled one of the tournament's top 16 seeds, falling just short in a tight 6-4, 6-4 decision.

The highlight of the weekend came from sophomore Emanuel Casco, who pulled off a thrilling upset over a top 16 seed from Midway University. After dropping the first set, Casco roared back to win the second 6-1, then outlasted his opponent in a dramatic 12-10 third-set tiebreaker. Casco advanced to the round of 32 before falling the following day.

Coach Seth Hale praised the team's efforts throughout the weekend, noting the intensity and growth displayed by his players:

"The ITAs are always incredibly tough competition with the best schools in the region all coming together, but I really thought we had some good performances over the weekend. Berks and Averie advanced to the final eight for the first time in school history while Marina, Maria, Lenni, and Mane all scored big wins before losing some tough battles. Our team as a whole also really showed out by supporting each other, especially during Mane's third set tie-break. As fun as these kinds of tournaments are, I'm really pumped to get into a little team competition to wrap up our fall season."

Up Next: The Royals will return to action on October 10th when the women's team scrimmages against Maryville College, followed by both teams hosting IU Southeast on October 11th.