OWATONNA &8212; Drew Passingham summed up the Albert Lea boys&8217; tennis team&8217;s effort against Owatonna&8217;s best. Down a set after falling 1-6, Passingham fought back to win the match in impressive fashion 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

The Tigers lost to Owatonna 4-3, but their performance on the courts spoke volumes.

Passingham moved up a spot to No. 2 singles and took down an Owatonna senior as the Tigers nearly had the Big Nine upset.

&8220;I have worked with Drew on not getting down on himself, and this is a big step forward for a tennis player and an athlete,&8221; Albert Lea head coach Sean Gillam said. &8220;It shows that he stayed positive and kept fighting.&8221;

The Tigers also got wins at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles and made things interesting at No. 2.

Team co-captains Corey Dieser and Josh Svendsen rolled to a convincing win at No. 1 doubles 6-2, 6-4 while Mike Bosma and Evan Nolander won a close match at No. 3 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

The No. 2 team of Matt Stoneking and Jake Thompson lost the first set of their match 0-6, but rebounded to take a 5-2 lead in the second game before falling 5-7.

&8220;We did some combinations that we felt gave us the best chance to win,&8221; Gillam said. &8220;I have had more talented teams, but not one with more heart than this one.&8221;

Jon Bosma lost at No. 1 singles 0-6, 1-6, Davis Thompson was downed 1-6, 1-6 at No. 3 and Joe Polis lost his first varsity start 2-6, 1-6 at No. 4.

&8220;They were telling us that we almost had them and that says something from a strong program like Owatonna,&8221; Gillam said. &8220;This goes back to the tougher schedule we are playing this year and it is helping us in all our matches.&8221;