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Wayne State University Athletics

3
Grand Valley State GV-M (11-6, 2-2)
4
Winner Wayne State WSUM (11-8, 3-0)
Grand Valley State GV-M
(11-6, 2-2)
3
Final
4
Wayne State WSUM
(11-8, 3-0)
Winner
Daniel Grey vs. Grand Valley State (04/12/2024)
Marissa Krynak
Daniel Grey clinched the match for WSU against GVSU with his singles win at the No. 1 position.

Match Recap: Men's Tennis | | Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis Fends Off #36-Grand Valley State for Key 4-3 Victory

The Warriors are now 3-0 in the GLIAC with three games remaining.

DETROIT -- The No. 22-ranked Wayne State University men's tennis squad (11-8 overall, 3-0 GLIAC) collected a key 4-3 win over #36-Grand Valley State (11-6 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) on Friday inside the Duchene Athletic Facility.

The triumph improved WSU to 3-0 within the conference, which ties the team with Ferris State for the league lead.  The Warriors earned their eighth victory within the Midwest Region (8-2) and ninth home win (9-0) in as many attempts.

DOUBLES
The Green and Gold used three doubles wins to cash in on the opening point of the critical conference affair.

Luke Laws (Sunderland, England) and Dom Spicer (London, England), the No. 11-ranked tandem in Division II, began the proceedings with a 6-3 triumph against Chimo Minguez and Jorge Ruiz at the second flight.

Clinching the doubles point at the No. 1 spot were Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany) and Daniel Grey (Wiesbaden, Germany) via the duo's 6-4 win over Sean Miller and Victor Lopes.  Drenth and Grey were recently ranked second in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) computerized rankings.

Even though the point had been obtained, the action at the No. 3 position finished - and finished in a tight fashion.  Denali Kitayama (West Bloomfield Township, Mich. / Walled Lake Central (United States Air Force Academy)) and Benjamin Hill (Düren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) fought for a 7-6 (9-7) tie-breaking win vs. Stephen Claassen and Lawrence Ivanov to sweep the category for Wayne State.

SINGLES
WSU and GVSU split the six singles matches evenly, but the Warriors were able to fend off the Lakers with their point acquired earlier in the contest.

Drenth looked dominant at times in his 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 victory against Miller at the No. 2 spot.  Both Drenth (No. 13) and Miller (No. 74) were ranked nationally entering the day.  It was also the Warrior's sixth straight singles win dating back to the Barry matchup on March 12.

Spicer registered set wins of 6-2 and 7-6 (7-4) to down Lucas Gonzalez at the third flight, which put the Green and Gold ahead by a 3-0 margin.

Grand Valley State earned its first point with a victory from Lopes at the No. 4 position.  Kitayama secured a 7-6 (7-4) triumph in the opening set, but fell 6-4 and 6-2 in the other two.

It was Grey who clinched the match for Wayne State at the first flight against Denys Zamaraiev, who was ranked 60th in the country.  The eighth-ranked Warrior downed his GVSU opponent 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to officially give WSU the victory.  Grey has now won his last four singles matches.

No. 5 and No. 6 singles were completed despite WSU already winning the overall match.  Emil Mikkelsen (Soenderborg, Denmark) lost 6-4, 6-0 to Ruiz at the fifth flight, while Hill dropped decisions of 6-4 and 6-2 to Minguez at the sixth flight.

FROM COACH MORROW
"Great win today against a really good team in the GLIAC, as well as regionally and nationally in GVSU.  I am particularly happy with the way we started the match.  Doubles was solid and we came out strong.  First doubles started a little slow, but the boys became more in tune as it went on.  Second doubles played rock solid in a match that was never truly in doubt, while third doubles defeated one of the best third-team pairings we have seen all season - so I was quite happy with that.  Daniel Grey made it through a tough match against a very, very good opponent, so I am proud of the way he fought.  Cedric Drenth had a little trouble in the middle set as his opponent started to play better, but he pulled that one out as well.  Dom Spicer gutted through a tough match to earn a win also.  I am proud of these guys and am looking forward to where we can go from here.  We are excited and looking forward to another challenge in Ferris State on Sunday." said head coach Bryan Morrow on the effort.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will host #28-Ferris State on Sunday in Detroit for what will likely be a battle for the GLIAC Regular-Season Championship.  Both squads are 3-0 in the conference with three matches left to play.  Action is scheduled for 10 a.m. either outside on the WSU Tennis Courts or inside at the Duchene Athletic Facility.

 
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