The Hillsdale College men's tennis team won every match in dominant fashion to kick off the Great Midwest Athletic Conference calendar the right way with a 7-0 victory over visiting Kentucky Wesleyan.
Hillsdale captured all three doubles matches to win the doubles point at the start, with only one match -- the No. 3 doubles match -- ending up at all close. Partners Daniel Gilbert and Henry Hammond showed great fortitude, dominating the tiebreak 7-2 to take the match 7-6. At No. 1 doubles, Hillsdale's Sean Barstow and Aidan Pack rolled to a 6-0 victory, and at No. 2 doubles Ellis Klanduch and Tyler Conrad picked up a 6-1 victory as well.
The Chargers encountered little resistance in singles play, claiming all six matches in straight sets with no set closer than 6-3. Pack rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles to get conference play off to a good start, while Conrad, the defending G-MAC Player of the Week, took a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles as well.
Barstow picked up a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 3 singles as well for Hillsdale, while Klanduch and Gilbert each didn't drop a game in 6-0, 6-0 victories at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Hammond finished off the Chargers victory with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles as well.
Hillsdale improves to 6-6 on the season and 1-0 in the G-MAC with the victory, and will look to continue a good start in conference play with a home match against G-MAC newcomer Thomas More in the first-ever meeting between the two programs at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday.
Photo by Anthony Lupi