The spring season started with a pair of victories, over Cornerstone and Davenport, for the Hillsdale men’s tennis team.

“In our matches this weekend we showed off our depth in the singles and doubles lineup,” head coach Keith Turner said.

The Chargers went 6-1 both days, outplaying their opponents in almost every match. In Saturday’s competition against Cornerstone, each of the players won at least one singles or doubles point for the team. On Sunday, Hillsdale grabbed its second win of the weekend, and is now 3-0 this season. 

Saturday’s match against Cornerstone started off strong with senior Brian Hackman and freshman Nik Wastcoat taking a 6-1 win as the No. 2 doubles team for the Chargers. 

“I’ve never played them before, but my coach said that they are a very good NAIA school, so we didn’t underestimate them at all,” Hackman said. “No. 2 is the highest I’ve ever played in the lineup. I knew I would have a tough opponent, but I’ve just been really focused on my fitness and just being able to be really consistent and just play a bit more defense than I’m used to.”

Hackman had a rough first singles match, losing 4-6, but he quickly recovered by winning his next set, 6-3 and winning a super-tiebreak, 12-10, earning the match point for the Chargers.

Sophomore Daniel Gilbert and senior Tyler Conrad, the No. 3 team, followed suit with a 6-1 victory, helping to clinch the doubles point. 

“It was a very good weekend,” Conrad said. “I was especially happy with how doubles went. I’ve never really played very much with Dan Gilbert before in dual matches, and I was glad to see that we were able to quick and take out a couple pretty strong teams without very much trouble.”

Junior Brennan Cimpeanu said injuries last year kept the depth of the roster shallow. But player additions during the offseason have improved the team’s chances, he said.

“We would go into every match knowing we would be losing,” Cimpeanu said. “This year, not only are we back like mentally and physically just healthy now, but we have three new players that just add so much to our team.”

Cimpeanu won two straight sets in singles, 6-1, 6-1, while freshman Aidan Pack won his set tiebreak, 6-1, 2-6, 10-3.

Both Conrad and Sean Barstow, the teams Nos. 4 and 5 singles players, claimed points from their matches. Conrad with a 6-4, 6-4 victory and Barstow with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. 

“We came out and we showed that we’re going to be competing at a high level this year,” Barstow said. “We lost pretty badly to Davenport last year, and then we came out and beat them pretty handily.”

Sunday was an equally strong day for the team. The No. 2 doubles partners, Hackman and Wastcoat earned a 6-4 victory while the No. 3 doubles team, Gilbert and Conrad, pulled the Chargers ahead with a 6-2 victory. 

“We really showed off our depth, because our lineup,” Gilbert said. “We have five guys that could beat one another any day of the week.”

Singles were again dominated by Cimpeanu, who won the 7-3 second-set tiebreak.

“I’m a singles player through and through,” Cimpeanu said. “It’s just my strong suit because I can just do whatever I want in the court. Not really having to worry about anything else.”

Hackman, No. 3 singles on Sunday, also clinched a 6-4, 6-0 victory that secured his 4-0 win streak for the weekend.

Conrad and Barstow had matching wins, 6-1, 6-1 while Gilbert achieved another point for the Chargers with his 7-5, 6-2 victory. 

“Our team is really deep this year,” Barstow said. “I didn’t play great doubles, but the other two teams picked it up and covered for us. And then singles wise we all played solid, yeah the freshmen they went out and showed that they were ready to play.” 

Among the many injured last season was Hackman, who was out with a labral tear. 

“My serve is a lot slower than pre-injury, so I don’t really get very many free points,” Hackman said. “So I really have to hussle around and earn every point, and I was prepared to do that.” 

Gilbert said the main struggle the team faced was early-season jitters. 

“I think for opening weekend, a lot of people have kinda a lot of nerves that they need to work through,” Gilbert said. “We haven’t played a match since September, so I think once we get a little more into match play people are feeling comfortable at the beginning of matches, then we’ll do a little better.”