Wayne State University Athletics

Men's Tennis 3/25/2024 1:00:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis Set for Regional Battle Against #38-Tiffin on Tuesday

The Dragons will be WSU's 11th nationally-ranked opponent this season.

DETROIT -- The No. 20-ranked Wayne State University men's tennis program will play the second of back-to-back home matches on Tuesday afternoon against No. 38-ranked Tiffin University. WSU and TU will square off beginning at 1 p.m. from inside the Duchene Athletic Facility.

LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors are fresh off a 4-3 triumph vs. the University of Findlay last Friday in Detroit. That decision snapped the Green and Gold's four-match losing streak and improved the squad's record to an even 8-8, which includes a 4-2 ledger within the Midwest Region.

A key reason for Wayne State's win against Findlay in the most recent contest was its performance in doubles. The Warriors used wins from its top two pairings to emerge with the opening point. Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany) and Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany) won 7-6 (7-3), while Luke Laws (Sunderland, England) and Dom Spicer (London, England) nabbed a 6-0 shutout.

Drenth, Denali Kitayama (West Bloomfield Township, Mich. / Walled Lake Central (United States Air Force Academy)) and Emil Mikkelsen (Soenderborg, Denmark) had the victories in singles, with Mikkelsen's triumph serving as the clinching point on the afternoon.

WSU will look to improve its regional winning streak to five matches on Tuesday with Tiffin in town, another program from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).

ITA RANKINGS UPDATE
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) will release another round of rankings this week on Wednesday, March 27. It will include the seventh round of National Rankings and the fourth rounds of National Singles and Doubles Rankings for 2024. Including Wednesday, there will be five more rounds of rankings prior to postseason play, which is scheduled to begin on April 26 for WSU at the GLIAC Tournament in Midland, Mich.

The new rankings provided by the ITA this week can be found HERE.

VS. TIFFIN (3/26)
Tiffin will be on the second end of a back-to-back after hosting Walsh for its first conference match of the season on Monday afternoon. The Dragons are ranked No. 38 via the ITA's computerized rankings system. They carry a 9-5 record into Monday's contest. With the conclusion of Tuesday's match in Detroit, TU will have faced all seven GLIAC schools that sponsor men's tennis. Tiffin is 5-1 in the previous six GLIAC contests, with wins over Michigan Tech (6-1), Grand Valley State (5-2), Purdue Northwest (4-3), Davenport (6-1), and Lake Superior State (4-3).

Wayne State had won 11 consecutive matches against its former conference rivals between April 7, 2008, and April 3, 2016, before back-to-back losses during the 2017 campaign. After 2017, WSU has claimed the last six match-ups with the Dragons, dating back to March 31, 2018.

TU has one of the most talented singles players in Ruben Fonga on its roster. Fonga is the third-ranked player in the country as of last week's rankings. Tiffin's Michael Gurtner and Matthew Telford are 22nd in the nation in doubles.

Tiffin is coached by Phil Conley in his 15th season. He is also the head coach of the women's tennis program at the school. Conley is assisted by Ben Szarek and Gabriel de Oliveira, who are both in their first seasons on the TU Coaching Staff.

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Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey: 6' 0"; Senior

Denali Kitayama: 5' 7"; Senior

Luke Laws: 5' 10"; Graduate Student

Emil Mikkelsen: 5' 11"; Senior

Dom Spicer: 5' 11"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Cedric Drenth
: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Grey
: 6' 0"; Senior

Denali Kitayama
: 5' 7"; Senior

Luke Laws
: 5' 10"; Graduate Student

Emil Mikkelsen
: 5' 11"; Senior

Dom Spicer
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student