ERIE — Warren’s boys tennis team suffered its first loss on the season on Monday, 3-2 at McDowell.

“This was a great match through and through,” said Warren coach Thomas Pellegrino, whose Dragons are 7-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 2. “From (No. 1 singles) down to second doubles, it was competitive and high-level tennis, which is what we expected going into this.

“McDowell has three talented and experienced singles players in their lineup and they took advantage early in the match as our guys were making far too many unforced errors and played a bit nervous and tight today,” said Pellegrino.

At first singles, Warren’s Adam Strandburg lost to David Mikatowicz, 2-6, 2-6.

At Second singles, Warren’s Lucas Thrift lost, 0-6, 2-6, to Gridley Wright.

At third singles, Warren’s Brody Alexander lost to Daniel Idzik, 3-6, 2-6.

“The highlight of the day was in our doubles teams who continue to be the spark of this squad,” said Pellegrino.

In first doubles, Jack Lynds and Ben Scott won a three-set thriller over McDowell’s Noah Hardesty and Christian Neubert, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

“Jack and Ben got off to a hot start, grabbing the first break to get them to 4-1 lead in the first,” said Pellegrino. “They managed to hold on to the break and close out a commanding first set. Set two was tight in the beginning, but once our boys caught wind of being down 0-3 overall, you could see their play drop a bit and it cost them the second. In the third, they had nothing to lose and played aggressive, poached well, and grabbed a break at 4-4 to take the lead 5-4. Ben Scott served out the match to win the three-setter. This was a great win for Jack and Ben as they continue to shine as one of the most dominant pairs in the district.”

At second doubles, Warren’s Jaxon Thrift and Owen Baldensberger defeated Vinny Azzato and Ben Basile, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

“Jaxon and Owen are first-year starters and this was their first big match,” said Pellegrino. “I was very impressed with how they played and were able to stay composed even when down 4-5 in the first set. They played smart, took control of the net, and continued to pull out the big points. This was a great showing from our boys.”

Pellegrino added: “This is a tough one for us as we know we could have turned some of those singles matches around,” he said. “We’ll learn from it and rebound quickly as we take on 2024 state runner-up Cathedral Prep on Wednesday.”