The Hillsdale men’s tennis team started the 2024-25 season at home competing in the Charger Summer Invitational Sept. 14-15.

The invitational included Great Midwest Athletic Conference title contenders University of Findlay and Walsh University, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Lawrence Technological University. The invitational consisted of two doubles flights and three singles flights. 

The Chargers went into the match as one of youngest teams in Hillsdale’s program and G-MAC DII history, with four freshmen and two sophomore players, according to the Hillsdale Chargers website.

“I think we did very well considering the age of our team and how long we have been here for,” sophomore Henry Hammond said. “So I think it’s a good starting point for the rest of the year to sort of improve and get better.” 

Sophomores Hammond and Ellis Klanduch both lost their matches in the opening round of the top singles flight, moving down to the consolation bracket. Klanduch went to win the consolation bracket after winning his match in the opening round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over his Lawerence Tech opponent, and winning the final match with a 6-1, 6-3, victory over a Walsh opponent.

“I think Ellis did really well to beat the players he beat,” Hammond said. “Ellis raised his level quite a bit from last year so it was good to see that our sophomores were progressing from last year already.”

Freshmen Alex Cordero Lopez and Sam Plys also performed well in singles. After losing their matches in the opening round of singles flight B, Cordero Lopez and Plys both won their matches in the opening round of the consolation bracket. Both players moved on to play against each other in the final match. Plys claimed the win over Cordero Lopez with a 6-1, 6-4 score.

“I have been really eager to play at Hillsdale and managing to get a win while everyone was cheering was very important for me,” Cordero Lopez said. “This was definitely a huge moment in my tennis career.”

The Chargers also competed in both doubles flights, with Cordero Lopez and freshman Eddie Bergelin reaching the final round of the main bracket in flight B. 

“My dynamic with Eddie is fantastic,” Cordero Lopez said. “We both arrived as freshmen from foreign European countries, so we are both in a similar situation and have been helping each other since the start.”

 

The Chargers are set to play the ITA Midwest Regional Sept. 28-30, hosted by Davenport University. The best players in the midwest, and some in the nation, will be competing and the Chargers are excited to gain experience from the tournament, according to head coach Keith Turner. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much we improve and to see which of the guys are going to be strong lineup guys in future years as our team gets better,” Turner said.