Tennis reaches .500 in conference after 1-1 weekend

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Tennis reaches .500 in conference after 1-1 weekend
Junior Dugan Delp was a No. 4 singles winner 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday against Tiffin. (Photo: Zoe Hopkins / Courtesy)

Hillsdale College men’s tennis team split weekend matches on the road, reaching 4-4 in conference play. The Chargers toppled Walsh University 5-4 Saturday afternoon then dropped a 5-4 decision to Tiffin University on Sunday. 

Hillsdale split singles play against the Walsh Cavaliers, but won two doubles matches to overcome the tenth-ranked team in the Midwest region. 

Freshman Charlie Adams picked up a hard-fought No. 2 singles win 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. Adams teamed up with sophomore Justin Hyman for a No. 1 doubles win 8-6, stretching their doubles win streak to nine.

Freshman Milan Mirkovic won at No. 3 singles 6-0, 6-1, and paired with freshman Julien Clouette — a No. 6 singles winner 6-3, 6-1 — to win at No. 3 doubles 8-4. 

Walsh is the fourth regionally-ranked team the Chargers have defeated this season. 

“We made strides to be third in the conference, but our progress is a huge jump from last season,” head coach Keith Turner said. “We went from one conference win to four, and we are gaining a lot of recognition for it.” 

Clouette said Charger tennis has improved in every way since last season. 

“We’ve had better results against every team we’ve played,” Clouette said. “There’s no doubt we’ve improved with our new freshmen.”

The Chargers fell to Tiffin University 5-4 on Sunday evening. 

Hillsdale was swept in doubles play for the first time since pre-spring break lineup changes, but the Chargers fought back to win four singles matches, three of which required a third set. 

Adams picked up a No. 2 singles win 6-3, 6-1. Mirkovic won at No. 3 singles 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Junior captain Dugan Delp was a No. 4 singles winner 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, and sophomore John Ciraci won at No. 5 singles 6-2, 5-7, 7-6. 

“I’m happy the way we fought back after doubles to finish strong,” Turner said. 

Charger tennis has not been shutout since February, and has come within a point from beating some of the best GLIAC teams. 

Nine of the Hillsdale’s 19 matches this season have ended in a 5-4 score, showing the fierce competition in their schedule. 

“We are happy, but we know we could be better,” Clouette said.  “We still have the GLIAC tournament to prove to the other teams that we can beat them.” 

The Chargers will face Findlay University on Friday afternoon, their final conference match before the GLIAC tournament.

“If we beat Findlay, we should finish fifth in the conference,” Turner said. “They have strong players, so we will have to come out fired up for our last home match.”