Ferris State Men's Tennis Battles Back To Advance To GLIAC Tournament Championship Match

Big Rapids, Mich. - The top-seeded Ferris State University men's tennis squad had to battle back, but earned a 4-2 win over Purdue Northwest on Saturday (April 24) in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Semifinals at the Greater Midland Tennis Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs will now advance to the GLIAC Tournament Championship match against second-seeded West Michigan rival Grand Valley State on Sunday (April 25). The match is slated for either an 11 a.m. (ET) start outside or will be played at 8:30 a.m. (ET) if moved indoors.

In Saturday's semifinal win, the Bulldogs fell behind early as Purdue Northwest captured wins at the first and second doubles flights to claim the initial point of the match. FSU's number three tandem of Yannic Alexander Mader and Ayush Deswal did earn a 7-5 win, but the Pride secured close wins of 7-5 and 7-6 (4) at the first and second spots in the lineup, respectively.

With top player Mathis Guerre held out of the Bulldog lineup in singles play, FSU relied on its depth to bounce back against Purdue Northwest. The two teams split the top two matches with Mader earning a 6-2, 6-1 win at the number one flight and Purdue Northwest's Leon Kah taking a 7-6 (4), 6-4 triumph at two singles.

The Bulldogs dropped the opening set at three, four and five singles, all by identical 6-4 scores, but Ferris State rallied as the trio of Benjamin Lortie (#3), Josh McDermott (#4) and Deswal (#4) all fought back and forced third sets where they were able to emerge victorious in a match that lasted roughly four hours.

Ferris State, which received a first-round bye in the GLIAC Tournament as the top seed before the semfinal win, improved to 14-0 overall this year and will next take on GVSU for the second time this season. The Bulldogs were a 6-1 road winner over the Lakers back on April 14. Grand Valley State beat third-seeded Wayne State 4-0 in Saturday's other semifinal to reach the title round.

The Bulldogs will be seeking their fourth GLIAC Tournament Championship in the last five tries in Sunday's final after previously claiming the postseason championship from 2016-18.

The complete match results can be found at this link:
https://ferrisstate.prestosports.com/sports/mten/2020-21/files/FS-PNMT_Rd_2.pdf