Hastings opened the week on Monday, May 5, against Hill Murray in a conference matchup. The Raiders battled through several close matches, especially in doubles play, but the Pioneers claimed six of the seven flights for the team victory.

At singles, Hastings faced a tough lineup from Hill Murray. Micah Slapnicher competed at No. 1 singles but fell to Braden Foley in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. Gus Whitehill Conover dropped his No. 2 singles match against Ace Mullenberg, 6-1, 6-0, while Malachi Beal battled at No. 3 singles before losing to Braden Manzel, 6-3, 6-2.

The closest singles match of the afternoon came at No. 4, where Hastings’ Benji Price pushed David Vomastek to three sets. Price recovered after dropping the opening set 6-3 and answered with a strong 6-2 win in the second set to force a deciding third set. The final set stayed close throughout before Vomastek escaped with a 6-4 win to complete the match.

Hastings earned its lone team point at No. 1 doubles in another tightly contested three-set battle. Aidan Suarez Garcia and Zac Belford teamed up for a hard-fought victory over Beckett Schreiber and Nick Hartzell. The Hastings pair won the opening set 6-4, dropped the second set 6-1, then regrouped in the third set for another 6-4 win to secure the Raiders’ only victory of the day.

The remaining doubles matches were competitive as well. At No. 2 doubles, Hunter Belford and Joe Makowske split the first two sets against Steven McGeary and Anthony Radke. After losing the opening set 6-3, the Hastings duo answered with a 6-4 second-set win before Hill Murray closed out the match with a 6-2 win in the third set. Tyler Pond and Jens Kaufman also battled at No. 3 doubles but fell in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, against Lucas Myers and Sebastian Jara-Bobe.

Hill Murray finished with the 6-1 team win, but Hastings showed resilience in several close matches throughout the lineup. The Raiders had three matches go to a deciding third set, including the victory from Suarez Garcia and Belford at No. 1 doubles.

Hastings returned to the court on Wednesday, May 7, and delivered one of its strongest performances of the season with a 7-0 sweep over North Saint Paul.

The Raiders controlled play from the opening serves and did not lose a single set in the match. Hastings’ singles lineup dominated throughout the afternoon, starting with Micah Slapnicher at No. 1 singles. Slapnicher earned a perfect 6-0, 6-0 victory over Patrick Young to set the tone for the Raiders.

Gus Whitehill Conover matched that effort at No. 2 singles, also recording a 6-0, 6-0 win against Brandon Xiong. At No. 3 singles, Malachi Beal continued the strong day with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Noah Deegan, while Benji Price closed out singles play with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Tyler Reed at No. 4.

The Raiders were just as sharp in doubles competition. Zac Belford and Aidan Suarez Garcia earned a straight-set win at No. 1 doubles, defeating Hunter Clem and Brandon Kessler, 6-4, 6-2. Hunter Belford and Joe Makowske controlled their No. 2 doubles match from start to finish, posting a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Mateo Falbo and Weston Wanstrom.

At No. 3 doubles, Jens Kaufman and Tyler Pond completed the sweep in dominant fashion. The Hastings duo did not allow a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win over Joshua Peabody and Stewart Sachi.

Hastings finished the afternoon with victories at all seven flights and showed strong consistency across both singles and doubles play. The Raiders allowed only 10 total games during the entire match while recording three shutout victories.

The Raiders earned the ninth seed for the team section tournament that began at the number one seeded Cretin-Derham Hall on Monday, May 11. The results were not readily available at press time, we will have those for you next week. If Hastings were to pull off the upset, they would face St. Thomas Academy, the three seed on May 12, a win there and they play on the road again on May 13.