The Hillsdale College men's tennis team didn't give its opponent any room to pull a potential upset in the 4-5 matchup in Thursday's G-MAC Tournament Quarterfinal at Centre Court in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Hillsdale, the four seed, controlled the match from start to finish in a decisive 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded Northwood as the Chargers advanced to the G-MAC semifinal round for the sixth straight G-MAC Tournament.
The Chargers seized the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead in the match, thanks to a 6-2 victory by sophomore Aidan Pack and senior Daniel Gilbert at No. 2 doubles, and a 6-3 victory by freshmen Henry Hammond and Ellis Klanduch at No. 3 doubles.
In singles play, senior Sean Barstow and Klanduch gave Hillsdale a massive lead in the match with one-sided 6-0, 6-0 victories at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively. Gilbert clinched the victory with a lopsided 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles as well to end the match in under two hours.
While their matches weren't finished, Hillsdale's No. 1 singles player Aidan Pack, No. 2 singles player Tyler Conrad and No. 5 singles player Henry Hammond were all up a set when the match was clinched as well.
Hillsdale improves to 11-9 overall and keeps hopes of the team's first G-MAC title since 2021 alive for another day. The Chargers face a difficult test in the semifinal round, facing off against top-seeded and two-time defending champion Tiffin at 10 a.m. on Friday for a spot in the championship match on Saturday. Hillsdale will be looking to overturn a 6-1 loss to the Dragons earlier this season and pull off a stunning upset to keep their season going.
Photo by Joel Krenz