Wayne State University Athletics

Dom Spicer and partner Luke Laws won the A Doubles Consolation Draw

Men's Tennis 9/27/2021 11:40:00 AM Zachary Manning, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis Completes Weekend at ITA Midwest Regional Tournament

The Warriors will finish the fall schedule at the Purdue University-Northwest Tournament Oct. 16-17.

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The Wayne State University men's tennis team completed play at the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament this past weekend, with several individuals finding success.

In the A Singles Draw, Dom Spicer (London, England), worked his way to the quarterfinal round of play before falling in hard fought match 6-7, 6-4, 9-11. Spicer made quick work of his first opponent, winning the match 7-6, 6-1. He then found a way to close out some tough matches, winning 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 in the second round and 7-6, 1-6, 10-8 in the third round.

"Showed so much heart and grit in that match coming back down match points and fighting through them and putting himself in a position. It was a great match, one of the best matches of the tournament," coach Bryan Morrow said of Spicer's quarterfinal match.

The A Doubles Draw proved to be interesting for the combo of Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany) and Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany) as they made a push for the title. The duo disposed of their first two opponents 8-3 and 8-2, respectively. In the quarterfinal match Drenth and Grey took an 8-5 decision. The run would end, however, in the semifinals with an 8-5 loss.

"Both of their first ITA Tournament, making the semis of doubles was a really great performance," Morrow said. "They handled themselves very maturely. We had a lot of wind out there, so the elements were a challenge, but they competed very well. I was proud of the way they played."

Also, in the A Doubles Draw, Spicer and Luke Laws (Sunderland, England) proved to be a solid combo. After dropping their first match of the tournament 8-9, the pair wouldn't lose the rest of the way. The duo won the consolation bracket. They won their second match 9-7, while taking care of their third and fourth opponents 8-5 and 8-4, respectively. In the consolation final, the two sophomores closed things out with an 8-3 victory.

In B Singles play, Drenth proved to be a tough out, playing his way into the quarterfinal match before falling to the top seed 3-6, 4-6. The freshman dominated his first opponent, taking him down 6-2, 6-0. In his second round matchup, Drenth posted a 6-3, 6-2 victory. He then won 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

"Cedric, in the B Draw, made a nice run. Lost to the No. 1 seed, but had a very strong showing for his first ITA Tournament in singles as well," Morrow said.

In C Singles, Joe Steele (Beverly Hills, Mich. / U. of Detroit Jesuit) had a solid showing, collecting the consolation draw title. Steele downed his first foe 6-3, 6-1 before falling to the fifth seed in the second round. From there, Steele played his way back to the top. His first match of the consolation draw was a 6-0, 6-3 victory, which led to a 6-3, 4-6, 3-0, retirement in the semifinals. He would then go on to claim the consolation draw final.

FROM COACH MORROW

"I'm very encouraged at the way the team competed and performed at the ITA Tournament," Morrow said. "I think it taught us a lot, and I think the guys know where they are and what they need to work on to get better. "

UP NEXT

The Warriors will conclude their fall action with the Purdue University-Northwest Tournament, which is set for Oct. 16-17.

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Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth: 6' 3"; Freshman

Daniel Grey: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Luke Laws: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Dom Spicer: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Joe Steele: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth
: 6' 3"; Freshman

Daniel Grey
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Luke Laws
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Dom Spicer
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Joe Steele
: 5' 10"; Sophomore