The No. 4 ranked Barton Community College men's tennis team ran into a strong No. 2 Pratt Community College squad Thursday afternoon, dropping an 8-1 decision at Pratt's Walter P. Blake Tennis Complex.
Swept in doubles play, the Cougars faced an uphill climb in singles, managing a tiebreak victory in the No. 2 position for their lone point of the dual. The result moves Barton to 1-1 in KJCCC play with one remaining conference matchup on the schedule.
Pratt set the tone early, edging the No. 1 doubles matchup as Sam Dinneen and Matthew Harris outlasted Charles Alipoe and Raphael Ankrah in a 9-8(5) tiebreak. The Beavers carried that momentum through the remaining pairings, with Kenta Kawada and Thiofhi Tshivhase posting an 8-3 win over Santiago Villarroya and Esi Molefe in the No. 2 matchup, while Daniil Blinov and Edward Westfall matched the 8-3 result against Armando Sigauque and Kristian Tesevic in the third slot.
In singles, Barton's lone point came from Ankrah at No. 2, grinding out a three-set victory over No. 19 Sam Dinneen, 6-4, 5-7, 10-5.
The remaining matches tilted in Pratt's favor, including a tightly contested battle at the top spot where No. 8 Daniil Blinov rallied past Alipoe, 5-7, 6-1, 10-5.
Pratt's nationally ranked depth proved decisive through the middle and lower lineup, as No. 6 Kenta Kawada (6-0, 6-0 over Villarroya), No. 49 Edward Westfall (6-0, 6-1 over Sigauque), No. 45 Matthew Harris (6-2, 6-1 over Molefe), and No. 47 Thiofhi Tshivhase (6-1, 6-2 over Tesevic) each secured straight-set victories to seal the team win.
Barton wraps up the conference slate Tuesday in its final home match, hosting No. 5 Cowley College for a 1:00 p.m. first serve at Shannon Schartz Tennis Courts located at Veterans Memorial Park.