Badgers open spring with trip to West Alabama

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Spring Hill men's tennis team opened the 2026 spring campaign on Friday afternoon, falling 6-1 at the hands of West Alabama. The Badgers have now kicked off six straight seasons against in-state opponents, with five of them coming on the road.
 
Match Details:
The Tigers claimed the doubles point with wins in the top two flights, carrying momentum over to singles play. West Alabama added points in the second, third and sixth singles flights respectively to earn the clinch, but the two teams chose to play out the early season matchup.
 
Luke Bedwell made his collegiate debut for Spring Hill, falling 6-2, 6-2 on Court 4 before Tom Gutermann dropped the top singles flight by the same score. Sophomore Evan Patton gave the Badgers their first point of the season to close out the day, outlasting UWA's Sebastio Vilas to come away with a thrilling three-set win on Court 5.
 
Results:

• Doubles (2, 1, 3)
  1. Tapia/F. Iturbe (UWA) def. Gutermann/Grebenstov (SHC) 6-4
  2. Portugal/Goncharov (UWA) def. Tucker/Huckell (SHC) 6-0
  3. Ruel/Robertson (SHC) def. Vilas/Kikuchi (UWA) 7-5

 

• Singles (2, 3, 6, 4, 1, 5)
  1. Tapia (UWA) def. Gutermann (SHC) 6-2, 6-2
  2. Portugal (UWA) def. Grebenstov (SHC) 6-1, 6-0
  3. Garay (UWA) def. Ruel (SHC) 6-2, 6-2
  4. F. Iturbe (UWA) def. Bedwell (SHC) 6-2, 6-2
  5. Patton (SHC) def. Vilas (UWA) 7-5, 3-6, 10-8
  6. Kikuchi (UWA) def. Rios (SHC) 6-1, 6-2

 
Up Next: 
The Badgers will look to bounce back on Wednesday, when they head northeast to take on Troy. The match is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.