Junior Henry Hammond. Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department
The men’s tennis team beat Kentucky Wesleyan University April 10 and Thomas More University April 11, improving to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play.
After the wins, head coach Keith Turner said the Chargers handled this stretch of their schedule well.
“We’re doing a good job of taking care of business during an easier time of our schedule,” Turner said.
Sophomore Ryan Papazov and junior Ellis Klanduch opened the match against Kentucky Wesleyan with a 6-0 win on doubles court No. 1. Sophomore Samuel Plys and freshman Jackson Clements lost on doubles court No. 2, but sophomores Rintaro Goda and Alex Cordero Lopez pulled out a 7-5 win on court No. 3 to claim the doubles point and push the Chargers to a 1-0 lead.
Kentucky Wesleyan evened the match at 1-1 after Papazov lost 6-1, 6-1 on singles court No. 1, but the Chargers did not give the Panthers any momentum. Hillsdale would go on to claim the next five singles matches, winning the overall match.
The Chargers did not drop a set on court Nos. 2-5, and on court No. 2, Plys won 6-0, 6-0. Klanduch, Cordero Lopez, Goda, and Clements each added a singles win to their individual records for the season.
“It’s amazing to see the team playing incredibly well these last few weeks, especially when we’ve trained our tails off preparing for our conference matches,” Goda said. “Being able to see your team improve is genuinely the best, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Hillsdale took to the Mary Jane Delp outdoor courts April 11 against the Saints of Thomas More University.
Klanduch and fellow junior Henry Hammond started play on doubles court No. 1, winning 6-0. The Chargers lost on doubles court No. 2, but in similar fashion, a 6-1 win on court No. 3 from Plys and Goda earned Hillsdale the lone doubles point.
In singles play, Hillsdale won the first five matches. Plys, Klanduch, Hammond, and Cordero Lopez each won in two sets, and Goda went to a third set tiebreak on court No. 5.
“Alex continues to play great in singles, and Ellis and Sam played one of their best matches of the year,” Turner said.
“I feel that my level is where I want it to be, and the work I’ve been putting in is translating to matches,” Cordero Lopez said. “These wins are really important for our confidence moving forward.”
After winning the first set 6-3, Goda dropped the second set 6-2. He went on to win the tiebreaker 10-5 to earn Hillsdale’s sixth and final point of the match. He credited his focus and reset in the tiebreaker.
“I told myself to keep the second set in the past and focus on every point in the tiebreak,” Goda said. “Coach Turner was on my court and he encouraged me to keep pushing and he reassured me that I was going to pull through.”
Goda won all four of his matches over the weekend.
“These matches were really important in securing our spot in the conference tournament, and I am really happy with the tennis I was able to produce,” Goda said.
Clements lost 7-6, 6-4 on court No. 6, but Hillsdale had already clinched the overall win.
“The win against Thomas More was impressive as we were short-handed,” Turner said. “I was very proud of the effort.”
The Chargers look to stretch their win streak to five as they travel to North Canton, Ohio to take on Walsh University April 18. Hillsdale sits at fifth place in G-MAC standings with a chance to move into fourth heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
