Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Wayne State University Athletics

6
Winner Wayne State WSUM (13-9, 5-1)
1
Davenport DU (11-13, 1-5)
Winner
Wayne State WSUM
(13-9, 5-1)
6
Final
1
Davenport DU
(11-13, 1-5)
Daniel Grey vs. Ferris State (04/14/2024)
Hyelim Shin
Daniel Grey clinched the match for WSU and finished singles a perfect 6-0 within the GLIAC.

Match Recap: Men's Tennis | | Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis Downs Davenport 6-1 for Strong Finish to Regular Season

The Warriors will be the No. 2 seed for next weekend's GLIAC Tournament.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The No. 25-ranked Wayne State University men's tennis squad (13-9 overall, 5-1 GLIAC) defeated Davenport (11-13 overall, 1-5 GLIAC) by a 6-1 score on Saturday afternoon at the MVP SportsPlex in Grand Rapids to conclude its regular-season schedule.

WSU, with its 13-9 overall record, will receive the No. 2 seed for next weekend's GLIAC Tournament - just behind Ferris State.  That is still enough to secure a bye for the opening round of the tournament, as the top two programs in the conference do not have to play in the opening round.

DOUBLES
The Warriors were able to sweep the three doubles matches with two comfortable wins and one closer result.

A pair of contests ended with a 6-1 final in the category.  WSU's second-ranked duo in Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany) and Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany) handled the No. 41-ranked pairing in Subash Paramasivam and Jan Stolin at the first flight, while Emil Mikkelsen (Soenderborg, Denmark) and Joe Steele (Beverly Hills, Mich. / U. of Detroit Jesuit) downed Max Dion and Marius Pion at the No. 3 position.

It was the first doubles action in conference play for both Mikkelsen and Steele, who each last played in the category vs. Tiffin on March 26.

In a tight affair at the No. 2 spot, Luke Laws (Sunderland, England) and Dom Spicer (London, England) grabbed a 7-5 triumph vs. Jose Brenes and Carlos Henriquez.

SINGLES
The Green and Gold tallied wins in five of the six singles matchups to finish the regular season on a high note.

Drenth, the No. 10-ranked player in Division II, needed a 7-4 tie-breaking victory over Paramasivam at the second flight, before securing an easier 6-2 victory in the second set for the first completed match in the category.

Davenport made the overall score 2-1 following the match at the No. 3 position between Spicer and Henriquez.  The Panthers' player was able to nab a 6-3, 6-4 win in straight sets.

Next to finish was Denali Kitayama (West Bloomfield Township, Mich. / Walled Lake Central (United States Air Force Academy)) in his first appearance of the afternoon at the fourth flight.  The senior collected set wins of 6-2 and 6-4 to drop Pion and make the score 3-1 for WSU.

Grey, ranked third in the country, had an important singles win over Stolin at the top flight.  He not only clinched the match for the Green and Gold with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) decision, but also completed an undefeated GLIAC campaign (6-0) in singles against the best student-athletes that each program has to offer.  That includes two nationally-ranked opponents in that stretch.

Mikkelsen looked strong in his 6-2, 7-5 triumph vs. Brenes at the No. 5 position, while Benjamin Hill (Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) registered the most-dominating win of the day.  The freshman Warrior did not allow a game in back-to-back 6-0 victories against Dion at the sixth flight.

FROM COACH MORROW
"Great win today! It was probably the best energy and the most relaxed doubles that we have played all year.  It was really fun to watch, as well as explosive and athletic.  In terms of singles, the top part of our lineup - which has been carrying us most of the season - struggled a little bit this afternoon.  Dom Spicer had a tough opponent, while Cedric Drenth also had a tough match.  Cedric and Daniel Grey both were able to get through it despite the challenges.  However, the biggest thing was that we played really clean and well at the final three singles positions.  We are looking forward to the conference tournament next weekend!" said Head Coach Bryan Morrow on the victory.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will head to the GLIAC Tournament in Midland, Mich., and the Greater Midland Tennis Center as the No. 2 seed for the weekend.  That means WSU will receive a bye in the first round and will not have to play on Friday.  The team's next action will be in the semifinals on Saturday, April 27, against the winner of the Grand Valley State (No. 3) and Davenport (No. 6) first-round contest on Friday.

 
Print Friendly Version

Related Headlines