Johnnie tennis wins 6-3 in first round of conference playoffs

St. John’s tennis looks to make a run in the MIAC playoffs after upsetting fourth-seeded St. Scholastica in the quarterfinals on April 25.

The Johnnies won 6-3 after winning all three doubles matches and winning three of the singles matches. This was an even bigger win after St. John’s lost 9-0 in their season opener against the Saints back in February. Overall, St. John’s went 8-9 during the regular season and 5-4 in the MIAC. This led the Johnnies to become the fifth seed coming into the playoffs. They were able to fend off Bethel and snag the last spot in the playoffs after their 8-1 win this past Saturday.

“Obviously, one of our postseason goals as seniors was to exude good leadership and to put ourselves in a position to be successful. We’ve done both of these things, and we have had so much fun this year and in our four year journey as student-athletes on the tennis team,” senior Peyton Fischer said via email.

The Johnnies went through some ups and downs to get to the spot they are currently in. They started the season 2-6 through the first eight matches.

“Despite the start of the year not going the way we wanted, we kept practicing hard and continuously improved,” senior Hunter Fischer said via email.

St. John’s went on to win their next four matches and six of the remaining nine competitions.

“We’ve got a tight-knit group of guys who always rally for each other, and we’re playing our best tennis when it matters most,” Hunter Fischer said.

Four teams now remain in the MIAC playoffs—the fourth-seeded Johnnies, third-seeded Macalester, second-seeded Carleton and top-seeded Gustavus. The winners of the Gustavus/St. John’s and Carleton/Macalester matches will face each other for the MIAC title on Saturday. St. John’s will face off against No. 1 seed Gustavus Adolphus College in the MIAC semifinals this Thursday. Gustavus has an overall record of 23-10, 9-0 in the MIAC this season. St. John’s will look to carry momentum into this matchup and pull off a huge upset. Looking at the future of this program, the Johnnies look to continue their recent success, not only this season, but for many seasons to come.

“We have a long history of recruiting not only great players, but great people … My hope for this program going forward is that we continue to recruit players that will be great teammates and build friendships that will last a lifetime,” senior Wil McDowell said via email.

The team graduates six players this year, but they have a lot of faith in their current team and incoming players to fill these holes.

“With the combination of our returners and a few new players, we will continue to be strong, and [we] are very optimistic about Johnnie tennis,” head coach Jack Bowe said via email.