MIDLAND, Mich. -- The Wayne State University men's tennis squad (20-3 overall) notched a 4-2 victory over Ferris State (10-11 overall) in the conference Championship round on Sunday, claiming the 2019 GLIAC Tournament title.
DOUBLES RESULTS
At No. 1 doubles, seniors
Taylor Vane (Southampton, England) and
Griffin Mertz (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) fell 6-3 to Stew Sell and Nur Adim Iswan. "One doubles played aggressively," commented head coach
Bryan Morrow. "A point here or there separated this match, and Ferris State pulled it out."
Player of the year sophomore
Niklas Karcz (Bottrop, Germany) and junior
Pierre Renaudie (Sathonay-Camp, France) tallied a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles against Mathis Guerre and Pablo Baroja. "Two doubles had a very competitive match," stated Morrow. "They had high energy and were the last doubles court out there, so it was an important point for us."
At the third flight, redshirt junior
Derek Sammons (Coldwater, Mich.) and freshman
David Solar (Prague, Czech Republic) won their match 6-3 vs. Cedric Rupa and Jack Seymour. "Derek and David played as solid as they have all year," Morrow said. "They looked steady and got the point pretty quick."
SINGLES RESULTS
At No. 1 singles, Karcz clinched the match by notching a victory over Sell (7-5, 6-4). "Niklas played solid against a big-serving guy. He out-battled his opponent and wanted it more than him," commented Morrow.
Renaudie won his No. 2 singles match against Iswan (6-4, 7-5). "It was a very intense match," Morrow stated. "There were a lot of ups and downs in it. Pierre gained momentum and had a few nice games in a row. He played steady and really well."
Vane had an unfinished match against Baroja at No. 3 singles. "Taylor was in a battle," remarked Morrow. "He was up 1-0 in a third set when it ended. Taylor had won the second set and was playing some great tennis against a really good player."
At No. 4 singles, Mertz fell short in his match against Guerre (6-1, 6-4). "Griffin's opponent served huge and had a good day," Morrow said. "He served and hit Griffin off the court."
Freshman
Max Rink (Wetzlar, Germany) tallied the No. 5 singles point versus Ayush Deswal (6-4, 6-4). "Max had a great win," commented Morrow. "He focused up and got the break of serve when he needed to."
At No. 6 singles, freshman
Donovan Nguyen (Troy, Mich. / Utica) lost his match vs. Connor Douglas (6-3, 6-2). "Donovan played an opponent who had big serves," Morrow stated. "They had a competitive, hard-fought match."
FROM COACH MORROW
"I could not be prouder of the boys. We have worked very hard for this. Beating Northwood and Ferris State, two great teams in this tournament, is not easy to do. They guys really stepped up and had a great weekend."
UP NEXT
The Warriors receive an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament, with regional play set to take place on May 11-12, 2019.
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