The Hillsdale College men's tennis team closed out the 2024 regular season with a difficult match on the road against a tough Walsh team on Friday night, falling 6-1 despite a close battle at several flights.
With the defeat, Hillsdale will finish the regular season at 10-9 overall, 5-3 in the G-MAC.
Although Hillsdale only had a single point in the final tally, the match on the courts was much closer than the score. The Chargers got a 6-4 win at No. 3 doubles from freshmen Henry Hammond and Ellis Klanduch, but despite strong fights came up short at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles by narrow 6-4 margins to fall behind 1-0 in the match.
In singles play, senior Sean Barstow picked up a hard-fought win at No. 3 singles to get the Chargers on the board, taking a 6-3, 7-6 (5) match with a gutsy win in the second set tiebreak to close out Walsh's Philip Peter Carstensen.
Hillsdale had other close calls, as Klanduch took his Walsh opponent to three sets at No. 4 singles with a 6-1 comeback win in the second set before falling in a tight match. Hammond also played well for the Chargers, coming up just short in a tight 6-4, 7-6 (4) match at No. 5 singles as well.
The Chargers aren't done in 2024, as Hillsdale has earned a spot in the G-MAC Tournament next weekend at Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky. It's Hillsdale's sixth-straight season qualifying for the G-MAC Tourney and Hillsdale will play in a quarterfinal match on Thursday, April 25 looking to continue another six-year streak of reaching the G-MAC semifinal round with a matchup that will be determined once the full weekend's results are completed across the G-MAC on Sunday.
Photo by Anthony Lupi