STORM LAKE — A dominating performance from the bottom part of the Central College men's tennis lineup provided the spark in a 7-2 victory against Iowa Conference opponent Buena Vista University Saturday.

Playing with a split squad, the Dutch (5-13, 2-1 conference) also dropped a contest at Morningside College 9-0 in Sioux City.

The Dutch won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles. In order, Sam Dykstra (sophomore, Pella), Tom Palmer (junior, Pella), CJ Cliff (junior, Decorah) and Scott Wilson (junior, Urbandale) played superbly in shutout efforts.

"They just took care of business," coach Ryun Ferrell said. "They didn't do anything super fancy. They made their shots and didn't give them anything for free."
At No. 3 doubles, Jacob Logan (junior, Bettendorf) and Danny Anderson (freshman, Boone) also pitched an 8-0 shutout victory. Dykstra and Palmer topped their opponents at No. 2 doubles 8-3.
           
"I would have liked to see us play a little better there," Ferrell said. "We played well, but you're always looking to see improvement."
Central picked up a win at No. 1 singles from Garret Taylor (junior, Creston), who won 6-4, 6-7, 10-3 over Chris Habermann.

"Garret beat a really good player in our league," Ferrell said.  "(Habermann) beat one of Luther's top players yesterday. Garret was in control of the entire match today, he looked great."

Despite the lopsided defeat at Morningside, Ferrell acknowledges it was good for the program's growth as a lot of the underclassmen were able to compete.

"We were asking a lot of those guys," he said. "They needed to play those matches. I'm proud of their efforts."
           
Conference play continues on the road Sunday, April 9 at Luther College when the two programs meet for a 3 p.m. match.