Missourian prep tennis roundup, Mar. 20: Notre Dame boys push past Cape Central

The Notre Dame boys’ tennis team opened its season with a narrow 5-4 victory against Cape Central on Monday, with the matchup coming down to the doubles court.

The teams matched up just once last year, with Notre Dame taking a lopsided 8-1 victory on the road. Cape Central stepped up on Monday, narrowing the gap but inevitably falling to the hosting Bulldogs.

The teams split singles matches, with Eann Ray Gardner, Gabriel Shelton and Mohamad Roumany all winning matches for Cape Central, while Notre Dame’s Charlie West, Matthew Austin and Eli Youngblood took matches for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs pairings of West/Austin and Youngblood/Owen Blattel pushed Notre Dame to a 2-1 victory on the doubles courts, giving them the 5-4 victory and opening up the season with a win.

Notre Dame next plays at 4 p.m. on Thursday at Potosi, while Cape Central next hosts Sikeston at 4 p.m. on Thursday.