The Wayne State University men's tennis team finished off a strong showing at the Hillsdale Charger Invite, which took place Sept. 11-12.
In singles action,
Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany / Altkonigschule Kronberg) started his collegiate tennis career with a bang, picking up the C Singles title. He knocked off fellow Warrior
David Pluszczyk (White Lake, Mich. / Lakeland) in the championship (6-3, 6-0). On his way to the top spot, Drenth won his quarterfinal match 1-6, 7-5, 10-7. In the semifinal match, Drenth picked up a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Pluszczyk won 6-1, 7-5 in the quarterfinal and 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinal before falling in the championship match.
Wayne State also picked up a doubles championship, as
David Solar (Prague, Czech Republic / Gymnazium Jaroslava Heyrovskeho) and
Niklas Karcz (Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany / Leibniz Gymnasium Gelsenkirchen) defeated teammates
Joe Steele (Beverly Hills, Mich. / Univ. of Detroit Jesuit) and Pluszczyk in the final match (9-7). Karcz and Solar won 8-0 in the quarterfinal before picking up an 8-4 win in the semifinal. Steele an Pluszczyk won 8-1 and 8-5 in the quarterfinal and semifinal before falling in the championship.
Another notable performance came from
Dom Spicer (London, England / Soto Tennis Academy / Spain), who fell in the championship match of the A Singles bracket. Spicer fell 5-7, 2-6 in the final. Prior to that match, Spicer upended his quarterfinal opponent 6-2, 6-3. In the semifinal match, Spicer dropped the first set before coming back to win the final two sets, punching his ticket to the final.
In the D Singles bracket,
Ryan Okonski (Stevensville, Mich. / St. Joseph) battled to a second place finish, falling 1-6, 4-6 in the final. Okonski made quick work of his first round opponent, only dropping two games. In the semifinal, the redshirt sophomore took down Solar.
After his strong singles performance, Drenth paired up with
Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany / Gutenberg) in the A Doubles bracket looking to pick up another title. The duo would fall one win short, however, losing in the title match (8-3). The pair won 8-6 in the quarterfinal and 8-4 in the semifinal.
Luke Laws (Sunderland, England / Southmoor Academy), Grey, Karcz, Steele and Solar made semifinal appearances in their respective singles brackets. Laws and Spicer appeared in the A Doubles semifinal as well.
FROM COACH MORROW
"Guys competed really hard," Morrow said. "A lot of comebacks after losing first sets. Proud of the way the guys competed this weekend. First event of the fall, so it's always good to get this one under your belt and be able to move on."
UP NEXT
The Warriors will be on the court again in Grand Rapids, Mich. for the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament. The action is set to take place Sept. 24-26.
