It was a fitting end to the 2018-19 season for the John Carroll men’s tennis team as they achieved their fifth consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference title with a 5-4 win against Ohio Northern on Saturday, April 27.

The Blue Streaks came into the final match of their campaign on a four-game win streak and an undefeated 6-0 in OAC play. The Polar Bears attempted to freeze that win streak and defeat JCU, but the Blue and Gold broke the ice with a crucial win.

The amount of drama coming into the final match of the day was enough to create a soap opera out of the afternoon’s festivities. JCU and ONU were tied at four apiece, and junior Adi Jha had the pressure of winning his match for Blue Streaks to take the ultimate win in Saturday’s contest.

Jha went down 0-1 in the first game, losing 5-7 against Ohio Northern’s Zach Beaschler, but responded well enough to win the next two games with 6-3 victories, winning the set 2-1. That victory clinched JCU’s fifth point in Saturday’s match, outing Ohio Northern’s four points scored.

Aside from Jha’s win, the Blue Streaks got key contributions from a few others to net the win. In the doubles, sophomore Andy Siciliano and senior David Sinese won their match, as did Jha and sophomore Parker Holyn.

In the singles, junior Gustavo Garcia and sophomore Andrew Triner won both of their matches in straight sets, contributing to the Blue Streaks’ point totals.

After a long, hard-fought day at Cleveland State University’s Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion, the Blue and Gold walked away with an OAC Championship win streak that dates back to 2015.

The Blue Streaks conclude the season with a 7-9 overall, and an undefeated 7-0 mark in the conference.