Junior Sean Barstow won his doubles match 6-2 with senior Brennan Cimpeanu.
Courtesy | Isabella Sheehan

The second-seeded Hillsdale men’s tennis team lost 3-4 to third-seeded Walsh University in the G-MAC tournament semi-final Friday. 

The Chargers’ line-up shifted last week after their No. 2 player, senior Brian Hackman, was unable to attend. 

“It was definitely a tough match,” senior Brennan Cimpeanu said. “We went in without our No. 2 singles, so we knew we were going to struggle with each match we played. The guys gave it their all, but we came up a little short.”

Hillsdale started off with a win in doubles. No. 1 Cimpeanu and junior Sean Barstow won 6-2, No. 2 senior Tyler Conrad and freshman Aidan Pack won 8-6, and No. 3 junior Daniel Gilbert and freshman Nik Wastcoat lost 5-7. 

“We managed to save two set points in our No. 2 doubles match that would have given Walsh the doubles point and the early momentum,” Conrad said. “Aidan and I managed to save those and then we were able to finish out the match. I played some of my best doubles ever at the end of the season.”

Singles only brought two wins to Hillsdale at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. No. 1 Cimpeanu  and No. 3 Pack both won 7-4, 6-2. 

“In singles, my opponent played really well,” Cimpeanu said. “I played him three times prior to this last match, so we both knew how to play one another. Thankfully, I was also able to step up and perform for my last match of my 15-year long tennis career.”

No. 2 Conrad lost 2-6, 2-6, No. 4 Barstow lost 3-6, 2-6, No. 5 Gilbert lost 3-7, 4-6, and No. 6 Wastcoat lost 0-6, 5-7. 

“I’ve played that guy several times before,” Gilbert said. “I’ve never beaten him, which was tough mentally going into it. We’ve always been really close and once again we were really close. His game style just matches up pretty well to mine, so it’s a tough matchup for me definitely.”

As the season comes to a close, it is also the end of the seniors’ time in Charger uniforms. 

“Ultimately, my time with this team has come to an end and I am thankful for each year I got to experience with them,” Cimpeanu said. “I spent the last three years with five of these guys and it was fun to end my journey with two of them.”

While the Chargers did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, they have consistently reached at least the G-MAC semi-finals since joining in 2017-18. They end the season with a 13-8 win-loss record. 

“It was a good season,” Conrad said. “We bounced back from a difficult season last year. Our record was 7-11 last year, and this year was 13-8, so it was a good bounce back. We’re going to have a strong team again next year, and things are looking on the upside for the future.”7