The Hillsdale College men's tennis team picked up a critical conference victory on Saturday afternoon, and helped head coach Keith Turner reach a meaningful career milestone in the process.
The Chargers won all nine matches on the court to sweep past Ashland without dropping a set, 7-0, at home. That victory was Turner's 200th as a collegiate tennis head coach, 88 of which have come while leading Hillsdale's program since the Chargers reinstated men's tennis in the fall of 2015. Turner previously spent time as the head coach at Limestone College in South Carolina, Lees-McRae in North Carolina, and Albion College in Michigan, and he's led the Chargers to two G-MAC titles and the program's only NCAA DII Tournament appearance during his time in Hillsdale.
While helping Turner reach that special milestone, Hillsdale made quick work of the Eagles. The Chargers easily won all three doubles flights, with junior Brennan Cimpeanu and senior Brian Hackman recording a 6-1 victory over Ashland at No. 1 doubles, junior Sean Barstow and senior Tyler Conrad rolling to a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, and junior Daniel Gilbert and freshman Aidan Pack taking a 6-0 victory at No. 3 doubles.
With the doubles point in hand, Hillsdale captured all six singles matches in straight sets. Cimpeanu defeated Ashland's Fabian Bussard 6-1, 7-5 to with at No. 1 singles, Conrad took a 6-1, 7-5 victory over the Eagles' Rodrigo Ludgero at No. 2 singles, and Hackman beat Ashland's Omar Prince 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles to clinch the match.
Pack won a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles for Hillsdale, Gilbert took a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles, and Barstow rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 6 singles to complete the sweep for the Chargers.
Hillsdale is now 12-6 overall, 4-1 in G-MAC play, and has a chance to wrap up the third seed in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament in its final match of the regular season at home on Saturday, April 15 against Northwood, beginning at noon. The match also will serve as senior day for Hillsdale's three graduating players, Cimpeanu, Hackman, and Bogdan Janicijevic.