Jojo Sandoz competes against Lusher on Thursday, April 5.

Sid “The Kid” Trouard won a critical singles match to help the Jesuit tennis team escape with a 4-3 dual meet win over Lusher on Thursday, April 5 at the UNO Tennis Center.

Sophomore Pierce Westbrook staked the Jay to a 1-0 lead, making quick work of his opponent at Line 4 singles with an 8-0 victory. On Lines 1 and 2, however, the Jays played valiantly but had no answer for the Lions. Sophomore Jojo Sandoz gave it his all on Line 1 against two-time defending state Division 3 singles champion and New Orleans Advocate Prep Tennis Player of the Year Zachary Smith, but came up on the short end of that battle. Sophomore James Henican, meanwhile, dropped an 8-5 decision on Line 2.

That left Trouard on the court, tasked with salvaging a singles split and giving the Jays some breathing room heading into doubles play. He did not disappoint. Tied at 6-6, the sophomore strung together two virtually flawless games to close out the match.

Jesuit ended any drama early in the doubles competition, with 8-0 shutouts on Lines 2 and 3. Juniors Cole LaCour and Dex Webster teamed up for the Line 2 win, while Trouard and Westbrook closed out the match on Line 3. On line 1, junior Colin Meyer teamed with Sandoz and put an unexpected scare into Lusher’s top duo before succumbing 8-3.

The Jays played without normal starters Christian Lacoste, Lee Blosser, and Andrew Ryan, all of whom were at LSU Spring testing.

The Jays close out their regular season with a pair of district matches next week. On Tuesday, April 10, Jesuit takes on Holy Cross. Then, on Thursday, the Jays close out their season against the undefeated Brother Martin Crusaders. Both matches start at 4:00 p.m. at the UNO Tennis Center.