On an upset-filled opening day of the G-MAC Tennis Championships, the Hillsdale College men's tennis team made sure they were the exception.
The lower seeded team won three of the four men's and women's tennis semifinals on Friday at Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky -- all except for the match involving the top-seeded Chargers, who took care of business and blanked fourth-seeded Findlay to advance to Saturday's championship match.
Hillsdale did get a scare early on, as Findlay came out determined to end the Chargers' dominance of the doubles point in G-MAC play. At one point, Hillsdale's doubles team were trailing on all three courts.
But as it has all season long, the Chargers staged a comeback, starting at No. 1 doubles, where sophomore Tyler Conrad and freshman Sean Barstow rallied for a 6-4 victory.
That win galvanized the No. 3 doubles team of junior Brian Hackman and freshman Daniel Gilbert, who came from behind to force a tiebreaker and outlasted their Oiler opponents in an 8-6 tiebreak to pull out a 7-6 victory and secure the doubles point for the Chargers.
Having seized the momentum, the Chargers rolled through singles play, with Hillsdale's three standout freshmen securing the three points needed to clinch the match. No. 2 singles player Brennan Cimpeanu improved to 14-0 on the year in singles with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Florian Bauer of Findlay, and Barstow rolled to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alfredo Berlanga at No. 4 singles.
Gilbert clinched the match for the Chargers with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Octavio Carrasco at No. 5 singles. While Hillsdale's other three singles players didn't get to finish their matches, all three Chargers -- Conrad at No. 1 singles, Hackman at No. 3 singles, and Gabe Katz at No. 6 singles -- were ahead when the match was clinched.
The Chargers improve to 14-2 on the year, and will have a chance at their second G-MAC tournament title in three opportunities tomorrow, taking on third-seeded Tiffin in the championship match Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The Chargers beat Tiffin 4-2 earlier in the year but the match was close, and the Dragons will be a formidable opponent after dispatching second-seeded Walsh 4-1 in the other semifinal.
Photo by Anthony Lupi