Ranked Ichabods Top FSU In Men's Tennis Play

Big Rapids, Mich. - The third time didn't turn out to be the charm for the Ferris State University men's tennis team as the Bulldogs fell to nationally-ranked Washburn (Kan.) by a 5-0 count on Friday (March 12) in Topeka, Kan.

The loss was the third-straight for the Bulldogs over a three day span with all three setbacks coming against ranked Division II foes. 

The Ichabods entered the contest at the Wood Valley Courts as the nation's 22nd-ranked squad in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Rankings with the Bulldogs listed 44th.

Washburn bolted out to a 3-0 advantage following doubles play while dropping only 12 games in tandem action. The pairing of Ryan Ward and Simon Blondin beat FSU's Kyle Revall and Steven Roberts 8-4 at the top flight with Adam Rens and Brandon Joost topping the Bulldogs' Jack Swan and Justin Hermes 8-3 at the second spot in the lineup.  Finally, at third doubles, Washburn's Emmanuel Laurent and Yann Kasay teamed up to defeat Ferris' Ahmet Demir and Arin Enge by a 8-5 score.

In singles competition, Joost handled Revall in straight-sets 6-3, 6-2 at the number one flight and Blondin was a 6-3, 6-3 winner versus FSU's Swan at the third spot in the lineup as the Ichabods needed only two points in individual play to finish the match.

Ferris State fell to 3-4 overall this campaign with the loss while Washburn also improved to 3-4 overall on the year.

The match was the last of five outings for the Bulldogs on their annual spring break trip.  FSU will next square off against NCAA Division I Western Michigan on Monday (March 15) with match time set for 6 p.m. (EDT) in Kalamazoo, Mich.