Give me a J! Senior Alex DePascual plays on the court next to the large Jesuit tent.

Jesuit’s tennis team clinched first place in the regional tennis tournament on the first day of competition Monday, qualifying both of its singles entries and all three of its doubles teams for state in the process.

Under clear skies, the Jays chalked up 15 points on the day, four ahead of second place Brother Martin.

In singles competition, seniors Gregory Suhor and Alex DePascual each knocked off two opponents in straight sets en route to the semifinals. Suhor, the top seed, will take on Brother Martin’s Benjamin Chanes, the tournament’s #3 seed. DePascual, the #2 seed, will face off against Terrebone’s Sean Stewart, the #4 seed.

In doubles competition, Jesuit teams secured three of the tournament’s four semifinal slots. All three Jesuit entries in the doubles competition knocked off two opponents in straight sets, with the group winning 72 of 76 games in the process. Top seeds Jacob and Jonathan Niehaus (both juniors) will pay teammates Jack Steib (sophomore) and Patrick Torsch (senior) in one semifinal. On the other side of the bracket, the duo of junior Brandon Beck and sophomore Trey Hamlin, the tournament’s second seed, will face off against Brother Martin’s #1 doubles team of Matthew Spieler and Ian Sigl.

The semifinals are slated for 9:00 a.m. at the City Park Pepsi Tennis Center, with the finals to follow at 1:00 p.m.

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