Northwest Wayne News

Wayne State University's men's tennis team achieved a significant victory over Washburn University in the NCAA Division 2 national round of 16 match on Tuesday. The 20th-ranked and 11th-seeded Wayne State team, with an overall record of 17-10, defeated the ninth-ranked and sixth-seeded Washburn team, which had a record of 20-5, by a score of 4-3. This win advances Wayne State to face top-ranked Saint Leo in the next round.

The match was closely contested, with Wayne State rallying to win the final two matches. Head Coach Bryan Morrow expressed his pride in the team's performance: "That was perhaps the best college tennis match I've ever been a part of. We played great in doubles got the win against nationally-ranked team." He praised players Cedric Drenth, Daniel Grey, Dom Spicer, and Denali Kitayama for their determination: "The fight they showed is just something to be proud of."

In doubles play, Wayne State's No. 2 duo of Dom Spicer and Luke Laws secured a victory against Washburn's Daniel Bird and Sebastian Pjontek. The crucial doubles point was clinched by Wayne State's top pair Daniel Grey and Cedric Drenth with a win over Matthew Earle and Tim Hammes.

In singles competition, Washburn initially took the lead with wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. However, Denali Kitayama leveled the score by winning his match at No. 4 singles after losing the first set. Washburn regained an advantage at No. 3 singles before Cedric Drenth tied it again with his victory at No. 2 singles.

The decisive match featured top players from both teams: WSU's Daniel Grey faced off against Washburn's Tim Hammes. After losing the first set, Grey won the second set and triumphed in a tiebreaker to secure Wayne State's overall victory.

Looking ahead, Wayne State will meet Saint Leo in their next encounter on Wednesday morning.