Charger men’s tennis snatched a 4-3 win at home against the Walsh University Cavaliers March 30 after trailing by one point going into singles play. The Chargers now stand 9-5 on the season and 3-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. 

In doubles play, the Chargers won one of three matches and lost the doubles point. Sophomores Ellis Klanduch and Henry Hammond secured Hillsdale’s only doubles win by defeating their opponent 6-4 at No. 1 doubles.

Freshman Rintaro Goda, who lost at No. 3 doubles with his partner freshman Ryan Papazov, said it was beneficial for the Chargers to play a tough team.

“It really pushed us to stay focused and forced us to fight for every point in the match,” Goda said. “There were a few things that we still need to work on and hopefully we can incorporate this into our upcoming matches.”

In singles play, the Chargers won four of six matches, with freshman Eddie Bergelin claiming a 6-2, 6-1, victory at No. 6 singles to close the overall match with a win for Hillsdale. 

Head coach Keith Turner said despite the loss in doubles play, he had faith the Chargers could still win the overall match.

“We’ve been in this situation many times this year with losing the doubles point,” Turner said. “But we were resilient. We didn’t get down on ourselves.”

Papazov won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 singles, Klanduch won 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and freshman Samuel Plys won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5 singles. 

Turner said he switched Papazov and Klanduch in the singles lineup, with Klanduch usually playing at No. 1 singles, because he felt they would match Walsh’s competitors better that way. Turner also said Papazov and Klanduch adapted to this change very well. 

“Papazov stepped up by playing one of his best matches of the year at the most important match of the year,” Turner said. “And Klanduch did a great job changing up his strategy a bit in the third set to beat a tough player.”

Director of Athletics John Tharp said he was proud of the team because the players seem to want to play well for each other, and as a result are improving everyday.

“I hope they keep working hard, supporting each other, representing Hillsdale College with class and competing with grit,” Tharp said.

The Chargers are on the road later this week, playing the University of Findlay Oilers April 4 and the Tiffin University Dragons April 5. Both teams are expected to battle for the G-MAC title, but an upset in either match can put Hillsdale in the race.