The Eau Claire men’s tennis team went 1-1 this weekend in Saint Peter, Minn. The Blugolds lost their first match to Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) 9-0 and won their second match against Augustana College (S.D.) 6-3. Gustavus is currently ranked 21st in the nation.

Although the score doesn’t show it, coach Tom Gillman said he thought the Blugold men fought hard and played well against Gustavus.

“You have to evaluate how your team does based on your opponent and based on all factors,” he said. “Sometimes you can win and not do a good job and vice versa.”

Senior Chris Kuna played a close match against Gustavus’ Amrik Donkena, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the region, but wasn’t able to pull out the win.

Kuna won the first set of the three-set match 6-0 but lost the next two sets 4-6.

He said their goal was to make it a tough match for Gustavus, despite the fact that they were underdogs.

“Gustavus is the best team we’ll play all year for sure,” Kuna said.

The closest doubles match of the day was from a pair of sophomores. Joe Meier and Ryan Vande Linde lost their match 9-7, but Kuna said they played well to keep it close.

“The team had a very good attitude, and though we lost, it was still a growing experience,” Kuna said.

The Blugolds had a strong showing against Augustana, losing only three of their nine matches. Vande Linde was able to pull out a win in a close match against Augustana’s Evan Gardner, and junior Florent Marco won his singles match after giving up only five points.

“As a team, we can improve in all facets of our game,” Vande Linde said. “We can continue to grow and get better.”

Two matches on the same day is no easy task, but Gillman said the Blugolds were able to handle it well.

“We have to be able to manage our mental game so that we can survive two challenging matches in one day,” Gillman said. “If you fight to the end then you give yourself a chance, and I think we’ve done a nice job of that.”

The team’s next five matches will take place in Hilton Head, S.C., where they will play a match each day of their spring break trip.