It can be difficult to gauge progress when you’re facing the Big Nine’s best, but the Albert Lea boys’ tennis team was able to do it anyway.

The Tigers, according to coach Sean Gillam, showed visible improvement in falling 7-0 to Mankato West Tuesday.

&uot;We played real well,&uot; said Gillam. Last year we played West twice, and I don’t think we won a single set,&uot; said Gillam. &uot;That goose egg stares you in the face, but if you look at the numbers, it could very easily have been 4-3.&uot;

The most significant match was No. 3 singles, where Kurtis Bohrnstedt won the first set 6-4 before dropping the next two 6-3, 6-3.

&uot;It was the first singles set we’ve taken from West in four years,&uot; said Gillam.

Stephen Thorn and Greg Peterson also won 6-4 in the first set, then lost 6-4, 7-6. It was 14-12 in the tiebreaker.

The No. 2 duo of Micah Holt and Corey Dieser had a similar match, winning 6-4 and then losing 7-6 (10-8), 6-4.

Eric Hutchison and Andrew Haatvedt fell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 doubles. Adam Luebke lost 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, Conner Keyeski fell 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2, and Andrew Dyrdal was defeated 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4.

The Tigers play Thursday at Rochester John Marshall.