The Hillsdale men’s tennis team lost 7-0 in its competition against Ferris State Friday, Feb. 10, but bounced back the next day, taking home a 6-1 victory over Lewis University.

This moves the Chargers’ duals record to 4-1, keeping them on track for the NCAA tournament. Junior Sean Barstow was named G-MAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the first time this season.

“We kind of came back from our very first loss of the season and were like ‘we came to play, let’s try to win as many as we can from now on,’” junior Brennan Cimpaneau said. “We were definitely motivated by that loss.”

Senior Tyler Conrad said it was unevenly matched, with Ferris State ranked 24th nationally.

“We knew going into that match that we were not the favorites, that we were considered the underdogs,” Conrad said. “We were hoping to have it be a bit closer than 7-0, of course, but it is what it is. But that loss didn’t disturb us too much.”

Conrad said he was more concerned with the game against Lewis.

“The really important one was against Louis,” Conrad said. “If we would have lost that, it would have been devastating for our chances of making the NCAA tournament.”

The Chargers lost all of their Friday doubles matches against Ferris. No. 1 doubles Barstow and Cimpeanu lost 3-6; No. 2 doubles senior Brian Hackman and freshman Nik Wastcoat lost 4-5; and No. 3 doubles Conrad and junior Daniel Gilbert lost 3-6.

“Saturday was a tough loss to Ferris State,” Hackman said. “They came in with a top 25 team and they proved why they rank that high. We had a lot of very close matches. But in the end, we weren’t able to pull any of them out, and we lost 7-0.”

For singles, No. 1 Cimpeanu lost his first set 4-6, won his second set 6-3, but lost the tiebreak game 10-5. No. 2 Hackman lost 4-6, 1-6, and No. 4 Conrad lost 1-6, 5-7.

“It was a guy that I had played last year and didn’t get to finish my match with, and he came out, and credit to him, he played very, very well,” Conrad said. “I almost managed to come back in the second set, but fell short a little bit in a very competitive match.”

No. 5 Barstow won his first set 6-4, lost the second 3-6, and fell short of a victory in a final set going 11-9. Gilbert lost 1-6, 4-6 in his match.

Gilbert said his loss only encourages him to do better in later games.

“It just motivates me really, and it’s nice in college cause you lose with a team,” Gilbert said. “It’s not just all on you. Especially when you have a match the next day, you just gotta move on real fast and focus on the next day.”

Saturday’s matches ended more positively. The Chargers won the doubles point with two match victories. Cimpeanu and Barstow won 9-7 while Hackman and Wastcoat won 7-5.

Five of the six singles matches were victories for the Chargers, but Cimpeanu fell short in his match losing 4-6 in two sets.

“When the team relies on you as the No. 1 singles, you want to always win,” Cimpeanu said. “I was an All-American last year, and in a way, it’s not pressure but you feel like you have to perform for the team. Thankfully, the team was behind me at all times. I can’t play well every day, and that’s just really how I view that match. He played well, and you learn from your loss.”

The Chargers head to their first away match against Purdue Northwest in Park Forest, Illinois, Feb. 18 before traveling home again to play Michigan Tech Feb. 19.

Hackman said the team is preparing to play on smoother courts in Park Forest.

“We have those doubles adjustments to make, but as far as our singles, we’re very confident, especially now that we have a loss under our belt,” Hackman said. “I think that was very valuable and we’re ready for our next challenge, and we’re very ready and very confident that we can win matches this weekend.”