Wayne State University Athletics

Men's Tennis 2/23/2024 12:20:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis to Host Walsh in Return to Detroit

WSU will play its first home match since the season-opener on February 1.

DETROIT -- Following a six-match stretch consisting of three road and three neutral site matches, the Wayne State University men's tennis team returns home this weekend to battle Walsh University on Saturday, February 24, at 1 p.m. inside the Duchene Athletic Facility.

The Green and Gold will look to snap a four-match losing streak with its first home contest since the season-opener vs. Lawrence Tech on February 1.

Wayne State is ranked eighth in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) following its latest poll released on February 14.

LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors received their second opportunity in as many seasons to compete in the ITA's National Men's Team Indoor Championship last weekend in Indianapolis, Ind, and the UIndy Tennis Center. The tournament showcased eight of the top men's Division II teams in a three-day event.

WSU played competitively in its three contests, but ultimately dropped all three. The Warriors suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the four-time defending National Champions in Barry University last Friday, which put the program in the consolation side of the bracket for the rest of the weekend. Following a 4-1 defeat to the host Greyhounds on Saturday, the Green and Gold suffered another close 4-3 setback to the University of West Florida on the final day in the seventh-place match.

Wayne State was the eight seed in the eight-team championship, which consisted of the Buccaneers, Greyhounds, Argonauts, Valdosta State, Saint Leo, Columbus State, and Flagler.

DRENTH NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
One Warrior that stood out last weekend was Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany), as the junior went 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles with Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany) to secure GLIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week this past Wednesday for the second time in three weeks to begin the 2024 campaign.

In singles, the German tallied two victories over nationally ranked players. Drenth faced the third-ranked singles player in the nation in Adam Lynch of #2-Barry last Friday. He secured a 6-1, 6-2 win in that contest. The next day, the Warrior handled David Simeonov of #7-Indianapolis by set scores of 6-1 and 6-3, which helped WSU to its lone point of the match against UIndy.

The junior then downed 17th-ranked Sebastian Sotelo of #5-West Florida 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 on Sunday to conclude his singles weekend, with all of his matches occurring at the No. 2 position.

With Grey, Drenth registered a pair of triumphs at the first flight, including 6-3 over Lynch and Simone Cavalleri of the Buccaneers. The duo also had a close 7-6 (7-2) win vs. Sotelo and Sebastian Rondon of the Argonauts.

The recognition was Drenth's fifth in his collegiate career. Wayne State has now swept each of the first three Player of the Week awards released by the conference to open the new season, with Drenth's doubles partner Grey claiming the recognition for Week 2 on February 13.

VS. WALSH (2/24)
Walsh has started its 2023-24 season with a 5-3 record entering Friday's contest at John Carroll University. The Cavaliers defeated West Virginia State 7-0 in the fall, before posting wins over Lewis (5-2), Mercyhurst (4-3), Oberlin (7-0), and Davenport (4-1) in the spring. Walsh will enter Detroit on short rest, as its contest at John Carroll precedes the team's arrival to the Motor City.

WSU has not lost to its former conference rivals from North Canton, Ohio, in its last 11 meetings dating back to February 10, 2012. The two teams have not played one another since February 13, 2022, which was a 6-1 victory for the Warriors at Peachtree Tennis Club in Clinton Township, Mich. The Green and Gold is 4-0 at home vs. the Cavaliers since 2011-12.

Walsh is coached by Bryan Whittaker in his 12th season. He assumed the head coaching duties of both Cavalier tennis programs in 2012, after serving as an assistant coach the previous two seasons. Whittaker is assisted by Ross Whittaker and Graduate Coach Nicole Biedacki.

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Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey: 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth
: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey
: 6' 0"; Senior