BIG RAPIDS – The Ferris State University men’s tennis squad ran its winning streak to seven consecutive matches and sharpened up for a big upcoming Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road swing by defeating Wisconsin-Eau Claire 7-0 in non-league action on Sunday at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center.
The Bulldogs, who are ranked 19th nationally in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) D2 National Rankings, climbed to 14-2 overall this year and stayed perfect at home by moving to 8-0 in Big Rapids with the victory.
“Although I set this match up to get some outdoor tennis in leading into upcoming matches that will likely be played outdoors, we still ended up with a solid indoor match,” said FSU head coach Mark Doren. “Eau Claire has a nice team and it was a good day for us to keep the rhythm of playing every weekend going.”
The Bulldogs opened the match by taking the three doubles flights for the first point of the day, capturing both the first and second flights by identical 7-5 margins to go with a 6-4 decision at three doubles.
All six singles flights also went to FSU and were decided in straight-sets with Mathis Guerre, Jan Koupil, Yannic Alexander Mader, Benjamin Lortie, Alessandro Santangelo and Josh McDermott all pulling in wins. Five of the six were double winners on the day with senior Ayush Deswal replacing Mader in the doubles lineup to get a win as well.
This coming week, the Bulldogs visit longtime tennis rival Northwood on Friday for a 1 p.m. match at the Midland Tennis Center. FSU will then face nationally 11th-ranked Wayne State in a showdown between top 20 teams on Saturday (April 16) in Detroit.
Presently, FSU enters the week atop the conference standings at 5-0 in league play with Wayne State at 4-0 followed by Grand Valley State (4-1) and Northwood (3-1) in the upper half of the league listing.
Ferris golf
The Ferris State University men’s golf team moved up two spots in the final round and came away with a third-place team finish at the Bill Blazer Memorial hosted by Ohio Dominican University as play wrapped up on Sunday at the Urbana Country Club in Urbana, Ohio.
The Bulldogs finished the 36-hole event with a 590 team figure, finishing only nine strokes out of first place at +14 for the two rounds of action. FSU shot a 301 score in Saturday’s opening round before firing a one-over par 289 figure in the final 18 holes to conclude the event.
Overall, Southern Indiana captured the team title with a 581 score followed by Grand Valley State at 584 and FSU at 590 in the top three among the 16 squads in the tournament held on the par 72 Urbana Country Club course that came in at 6,849 yards.
FSU’s Nathan Kraynyk earned all-tournament team honors as he finished third overall individually with a 142 score. He shot a four-over 76 in round one before notching an impressive six-under 66 score in the final round for the day’s low score. Overall, he finished at two-under for the tournament.
Meanwhile, Thomas Hursey placed tied for 11th in the field at 148 overall, which was four-over for the 36 holes. He shot a first-round 75 followed by a one-over par 73 on Sunday.
The Bulldogs’ Zach Koerner came in tied for 24th at 151 for the two rounds, shooting a 76 in the final round following a three-over par 75 in round one.
FSU’s Shayne Beaufait finished with a 152 total, good for a share of 26th place overall. Beaufait fired a 75 in round one and a 77 in the final 18 holes.
Finally, Joshua Jeffords wound up with a two-over par 74 in Sunday’s action to place tied for 31st at 153 for the two rounds. He had carded a 79 in the first round.
The Bulldogs are next slated to take part in the 2022 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships set for Friday through Sunday, April 15-17, in Augusta, Mich.
FSU is the two-time defending league champion as the Bulldogs secured the title each of the last two times the event has been held in 2019 and 2021.