SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- The 22nd-ranked Wayne State University men's tennis squad (17-3 overall, 7-0 GLIAC) clinched the GLIAC regular-season title after blanking Lake Superior State (6-7 overall, 4-4 GLIAC), 7-0, in Laker territory on Sunday.

This is the first WSU men's tennis GLIAC regular-season title since 1981.

DOUBLES RESULTS
Redshirt junior Derek Sammons (Coldwater, Mich.) and freshman David Solar (Prague, Czech Republic) were first off the courts after notching a 6-1 victory at No. 3 doubles vs. Harris Irfan ul Haq and Ali Sahibzada.  Head coach Bryan Morrow commented that the pair "played lights out and returned great serves."

At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Niklas Karcz (Bottrop, Germany) and junior Pierre Renaudie (Sathonay-Camp, France) tallied a 6-4 win against Diego Penz and Luis Valderrama.  The duo "played solid and held firm on a few big points," stated Morrow.

At the first flight, seniors Griffin Mertz (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) and Taylor Vane (Southampton, England) pulled out a tiebreaker after being down by one and serving at match point.  They topped Joe Gilman and Krishan Taneja, 7-6 (8-6).

SINGLES RESULTS
Renaudie was first off the courts after playing lights out in the second set.  At No. 2 singles, the first-year player edged Sahibzada (6-4, 6-0).

Vane was next to finish at No. 3 singles, winning in straight sets against Taneja (6-4, 6-0).

At No. 4 singles, Mertz clinched the match for the Warriors after getting an early break in both sets vs. Valderrama (6-2, 6-4).

Karcz notched a victory over Gilman at No. 1 singles (6-1, 6-3).  Morrow commented, "Gilman had beaten both his Grand Valley State and Ferris State opponents, so he is a solid player.  Niklas played a real strong match, outhit him from the ground and served great."

At No. 5 singles, freshman Max Rink (Wetzlar, Germany) played a stellar match versus Penz, tallying another point for the Green and Gold (6-3, 6-0).  According to Morrow, "Max played super solid off the ground.  He hit a lot of great passing shots and lobs."

With strong backhands, passing shots and swing volleys, freshman Donovan Nguyen (Troy, Mich. / Utica) came storming out in the second set to win his No. 6 singles match against Irfan ul Haq (6-4, 6-2).

"The strong leadership that the seniors showed has been a big part of our success," stated Morrow.  "The boys are very excited for the win and we are ready for our match with Northwood coming up."

UP NEXT
Wayne State will host the Timberwolves in the final contest of the regular season on Wednesday, April 17, in a 2 p.m. GLIAC matchup.