In a tightly contested season opener, the Ballard men's tennis team battled to the wire but fell just short against a tough Pella squad, 6-5, on Monday afternoon. 

Ballard put together a strong showing in doubles play, where they secured victories in four of five matches. The No. 1 duo of Nile Rozenboom and Jordan Shaffer delivered a clutch performance, bouncing back from a first-set tiebreak loss to win 12-10 in a deciding super tiebreaker. The pair of Maddox Jones and Brayden VanHorn also cruised to a straight-sets win at No. 2 doubles, while Trevin Sutton and Corbin VanDyke continued the trend with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3.

In singles action, Ballard picked up one win, as Trevin Sutton dominated at No. 5 singles with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 victory. Despite solid efforts, the Dutch took the other five singles matches, including two in straight sets and a key super tiebreak win at No. 3, giving them the edge in the final team tally.

The meet was a back-and-forth affair, and though Ballard came out on the short end, the performance is a promising sign for what's to come.

Ballard Record: 0-1
Up Next: The Bombers return home for a double dual on Thursday, April 10, hosting North Polk and Nevada. First serve is set for 1:00 PM.