MIDLAND, Mich. -- The 2017 GLIAC Men's Tennis Tournament kicked off Friday night at the Greater Midland Tennis Center in Midland. Two matches started the first round with two "upsets" taking place, as No. 6 Northwood knocked off No. 3 Tiffin, while No. 5 Hillsdale defeated No. 4 Wayne State in a late-night battle.

Action resumes Saturday at 3:45 p.m. with semifinal matches featuring No. 1 Ferris State vs. No. 5 Hillsdale and No. 2 Grand Valley State vs. No. 6 Northwood. No. 3 Tiffin will face No. 4 Wayne State in the fifth-place match.

Moving On! Hillsdale Men's Tennis Advances in GLIAC Tournament

Courtesy of Hillsdale Sports Information

SCORE: Hillsdale Chargers 5, Wayne State Warriors 4

In its GLIAC Tournament debut, the Hillsdale College men's tennis team kept moving into new territory.

The fifth-seeded Chargers upset No. 4 seed Wayne State 5-4 in a tournament quarterfinal match in Midland Friday night. Hillsdale, now 13-8 on the season, advances to take on top-seeded Ferris State at 3:45 p.m. Saturday.

The win was significant in many ways. It avenged a frustrating 5-4 loss the Chargers suffered at the hands of the Warriors during the regular season. It was also the program's first-ever postseason win, and is another tangible piece of evidence about the amazing improvement the team has made in just its second year of competition.

Sophomore Justin Hyman has distinguished himself as one of the GLIAC's toughest players in his sophomore season, and that came through loud and clear in Friday's tournament quarterfinal. He easily won his No. 1 singles match 6-4, 6-2, and teamed up with Charlie Adams for a clutch 9-7 win at No. 1 doubles.

That doubles win helped give Hillsdale a crucial 2-1 edge heading into singles play, where the Chargers earned victories in each of the top three flights.

Adams showed patience and maturity as he rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles. Few players have been on the kind of roll Milan Mirkovic has been for the Chargers lately. He kept up his winning streak with a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles.

Dugan Delp and John Ciraci also won a close match at the No. 2 doubles flight, 8-5, to help give Hillsdale an early leg up in the match.

Men's Tennis Advances To GLIAC Semifinals With 5-1 Win Over Tiffin

Courtesy of Northwood Sports Information

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 5, Tiffin Dragons 1

INSIDE THE MATCH

• Northwood got off to strong start, winning the first two doubles matches of the day. NU picked up an 8-4 victory at the No. 1 slot and an 8-3 win at the No. 2 position.
• The Timberwolves were on-serve in the No. 3 doubles match trailing 7-6, but the Dragons broke serve to cut the advantage down to 2-1 heading to singles.
• Northwood kept the momentum going into singles, taking three matches in straight-sets to close out the victory.
• The remaining three matches were then suspended when the team result was decided.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Austin Woody, David Reinauer: 2-0 on the day.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will take on No. 2 seed Grand Valley State in the semifinals Saturday (April 22). First serve is set for 3:45 p.m.

2017 GLIAC Men's Tennis Championship Draw

First Round – Friday, April 21 – 6:45 P.M.

Match 1:  No. 1 Ferris State vs. BYE

Match 2:  No. 5 Hillsdale 5 def. No. 4 Wayne State 4

Match 3:  No. 2 Grand Valley State vs. BYE

Match 4:  No. 6 Northwood 5 def. No. 3 Tiffin 1

Second Round - Saturday, April 22 – 3:45 P.M.

Match 5:  No. 1 Ferris State vs. No. 5 Hillsdale

Match 6:  No. 2 Grand Valley State vs. No. 6 Northwood

Match 7:  No. 4 Wayne State vs. No. 3 Tiffin

Final Round - Sunday, April 23 - 8:15 A.M.

Match 8 (Championship Match): Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner

Match 9 (3rd-Place Match): Match 5 Loser vs. Match 6 Loser