ROCHELLE — With four the five varsity matches settled, all eyes turned to the No. 3 doubles court, where junior Parker Slattengren and sophomore Sam Sergeant engaged in a rigorous three-set battle seeking to deliver a nonconference win for the Rochelle Hub tennis team.

Facing off against Princeton netters Nolan Anderson and Landon Fairbanks, Slattengren and Sergeant opened the match with an encouraging first set, but the Hub duo fell just short in the second set, meaning that a third-set super tiebreaker would decide the victor of Thursday’s nonconference battle. In a lengthy rally that saw both pairs trade blows, teamwork prevailed for Slattengren and Sergeant, who emerged with a 6-3, 4-6, 12-10 victory at the No. 3 court.

The win clinched a 3-2 triumph for the Hubs (3-4, 1-2 Interstate 8), who snapped a two-match losing streak and will return to action with a nonconference home match against DeKalb on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Despite a tough second-set defeat, communication and determination were difference-makers for Slattengren and Sergeant, both first-time varsity players this year.

“It was great because we had some struggles in the second set, but we overcame that and we played well in the tiebreaker,” Slattengren said. “I think it was about our teamwork and the fact that we’re friends, which helped us communicate and do what we needed to do. It’s a big boost for our morale on JV and varsity because we have a lot of guys who can play at both levels.”

Rochelle earned its first point of the match with a victory at the No. 2 doubles court, where freshman David Eckardt and sophomore Noah McKinney teamed up for a 6-3, 6-3 win against Levi Boggs and Jack Orwig. The Hubs split the two singles match with Princeton, earning the No. 1 singles point after junior Mark Green fended off Tiger netter Chase Sims for a 6-4, 7-5.

“It was great for morale because we’ve had a few close losses recently, so I think it’s good that we had one go our way,” said David, son of head coach Kristy Eckardt and a first-year varsity player for RTHS. “Noah and I are a good force up at the net and we put pressure on our opponents. I think that’s how we’re able to score some good points in our match. My coaches and teammates are all very supportive and they’re good at helping us be the best we can be.”

Junior Caleb Mortensen and sophomore Connor Hunley took the court at No. 1 doubles, falling 1-6, 1-6 against Princeton’s Asa Gartin and Jackson Mason. Junior Philip Winters played a tough first set at the No. 2 singles court, falling 4-6, 2-6 against Princeton’s Landon Davis, who secured the second match point for the Tigers. With the match tied at 2-2, Slattengren and Sergeant stepped up at the No. 3 court, delivering the winning point for the Hub netters.

“I think this is one of the better teams we’ve had in the last couple of years,” Slattengren said. “Most of us are juniors and sophomores, which is good for our future. We do well in a lot of spots, but overall, everything can be improved upon and I think we can improve everywhere.”