In their first home match in nearly a year, the Hillsdale Chargers beat Indiana Tech University 5-2 on Sept. 18 amid significant rule changes and weather delays.
The G-MAC recently replaced NCAA Division II rules with the streamlined Division I rules. The new implementations have proven frustrating, especially the scoring format where wins in doubles matches are equivalent to one point versus the DII version of three.
“We had to change our rules last minute,” head coach Keith Turner said. “I don’t agree that the rules will lessen injuries. The matches are much shorter. There’s no ad. scoring. There aren’t lets on serve. Doubles are now worth one point, not three, which really hurts us, because doubles are our strength. Doubles are also now set up to six, instead of eight games. There’s a lot we’ve had to get used to.”
Although unfamiliar to many of the players, sophomore Nico de Enrique Schmidt said that he felt more comfortable with the rules, because he played Division I for a semester at Southern Utah University.
“When I was playing Division I, I was already used to those rules. The matches are a lot faster because of the way points work, and if a ball hits the net and it goes through, we still play on it,” Enrique said. “It took some time for me to get back to the old rules, but it’s a big part of this season.”
In No. 1 doubles, senior Justin Hyman and junior Charlie Adams earned a 6-3 victory. Adams also earned his first victory in No. 1 singles winning 6-3 and 6-1. Hyman in No. 4 singles lost the first set 4-6 then rebounded 6-3, 6-4 to win.
“I am excited to play doubles with Justin this season,” Adams said. “I think our playing styles complement each other which is what made us a great team last year. It felt good to come out strong early.”
Additionally, senior John Ciraci and freshman Brian Hackman won No. 3 doubles earning a 6-3 victory. Ciraci went on to win 6-3, 6-2 in No. 3 singles.
No. 3 doubles, featuring senior Michael Szabo and sophomore Gabe Katz, easily won 6-1. In singles, Katz won in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.
Near the tail-end of the match, due to unexpected weather conditions, the teams were moved into the Biermann Athletic Center.
“It was good timing for us to play this match overall,” Turner said. “We came inside since it started raining, and had to get used to it again since we hadn’t played in there for a while.”
In spite of the transition, Adams felt that competing at home helped provide a positive outcome of the match.
“Having a home game probably benefited us because we are more comfortable, better rested, and more familiar with what the courts are like,” Adams said. “Although, I don’t think having an away match would make us perform that differently. It’s more of a preference to stay at home for convenience.”
Encouraged by the recent victory, the men’s tennis team will be moving forward to participate in the ITA Regionals at Davenport University.
“It’s going to be an extremely difficult tournament,” Turner said. “We’re playing one of the toughest regions in the nation. Winning even a few will be a big deal, since we’ll be playing the best players in the country. It should be a good experience for everybody.”