Junior Jack Steib lines up a forehand during his first match of the 2016 LHSAA Tennis State Championships.

The unseeded duo of junior Jack Steib and senior Cristian Archaga won three matches, including back-to-back three-set matches in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, to advance to the doubles semifinals of the LHSAA Tennis Division One State Tournament on Monday, April 25 in Monroe.

After dispensing of Brother Martin’s No. 2 doubles team in the first round, Steib and Archaga, Jesuit’s No. 3 team, squared off in a pivotal head-to-head match with Catholic High’s No. 2 team and pulled off a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory. They followed that up with a win over Byrd’s No. 1 team, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.

Steib and Archaga will face off with teammates Brandon Beck, a senior, and Trey Hamlin, a junior, in semifinal action on Tuesday, April 26 at 8:00 a.m.

Seniors Jonathan and Jacob Niehaus, seeded fifth, also scored points for the Jays, advancing to the quarterfinals before bowing out to St. Paul’s No. 1 team, who were also the tournament’s top seed.

In singles play, Jesuit picked up three points thanks to junior Graham Buck, who advanced to the quarterfinals, and sophomore Christian Lacoste, who advanced to the Round of 16.

The good news heading into Day Two is that Jesuit controls its destiny. The bad news is that Catholic High also controls its destiny. Catholic High has one singles player and one doubles team remaining in the draw, They must win out their remaining four matches to capture the team title. Jesuit tennis can claim its ninth consecutive state title if Catholic loses one of their remaining matches. One of those remaining matches could be a head-to-head doubles final.