SAN DIEGO- The Point Loma Sea Lions earned their first victory this season over San Diego Christian Hawks this Saturday sealing a narrow  4-3 win at PLNU Tennis Courts. 

In doubles, an early loss on Court 1 brought nerves to the Sea Lions as they started the battle against the San Diego Christian Hawks. Wins on Court 2 and 3 brought in the doubles point to give the Sea Lions the upper hand moving into the singles portion of the match. Alexander Leischner and Elias Weeks rallied back from a 2-5 deficit to beat their opponents 7-6. Meanwhile, Lukas Shuster and Nabeel Khan blew out their opponents 6-1 to secure the initial point for Loma. 

A rough start on Court 1 tied the matchup between the Sea Lions and Hawks in the team score.

The Sea Lions recaptured the momentum in singles with an outstanding performance by Alexander Leischner whose calm and collected presence on the court shocked his opponent from SDCC. The freshman from Germany secured a quick 6-0, 6-1 win on Court 3. Following short behind, Nabeel Khan split the first two sets but had a strong comeback in the third set, winning 6-2 and earning Point Loma's third point of the day.

 A pair of losses on Courts 2 and 4 put the pressure on Nabeel Khan to pull the victory through for his team. The clinching point came down to a defensive game, returning his opponent's serve. A backhand to the left corner got sent back to Khan but landed out of bounds delivering the clinching point in PLNU's 4-3 win. 

"It doesn't feel like an individual sport," said Khan. "The relationships we have built off of the court translate into a cohesive energy when it comes down to the wire." 

Although he was nervous that the match was on his shoulders, Khan credits his teammates' support as what gave him laser focus. 

That mental toughness is a huge part of the philosophy of Point Loma Tennis Coach Curt Wheeler. 

"When I look at my players, I don't want to be able to tell if they lost or won a point," Coach Wheeler said. "Winning or losing, there should be no difference in their demeanor." 

Point Loma displayed their composure as the match was in the balance and exuded poise to secure their first win of the season.

"This opening week served as a great starting point on where to improve as a team and individually," Wheeler said. "The Men are motivated and hungry to improve in practice this week before we head to Fresno."

Point Loma is on the road for their next three matches before returning to the PLNU Tennis Courts on Monday, February 21st at 10 am.