Ferris State Starts GLIAC Tennis Play With Split Against GVSU In League Showdown

Mathis Guerre Post-Match Interview 
Coach Mark Doren Post-Match Interview 
Women's Tennis Match Highlights 
Men's Tennis Match Highlights 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's tennis squads officially opened Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play at home on Saturday (March 19), splitting a league doubleheader against rival Grand Valley State at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center.

Both Ferris State teams entered the day as the defending GLIAC Champions with the Lakers finishing second to both squads a year ago both in the regular-season and the postseason.

The Bulldog men's squad started conference action strong, rolling to a 6-1 triumph over GVSU while the women's team battled hard and had opportunities in a 5-2 setback.

"The men were outstanding today and came out firing on all cylinders in doubles play," said FSU head coach Mark Doren. "Wow, it was impressive and they kept it rolling in singles.

"It was a tough loss on the women's side, but we played very hard and left knowing we are still a top team in the GLIAC and looking forward to a rematch," he added.

The men's squad, which is currently 9-2 overall, swept the doubles round in dominating fashion and came back to win the top five singles flights, including three in straight-sets. A total of seven players saw action and all seven figured into the final score for FSU.

In the women's contest, the Bulldogs, who are playing without the returning GLIAC Player of the Year this spring in Morgan Waller due to injury, fell behind following the doubles round as the Lakers secured two of the three flights to earn the initial point.

In singles play, the Bulldogs claimed a pair of wins from Brittany Lavenant at two singles and Parker Nolan at the fourth flight, but GVSU picked up the other four flights. Three of the six singles matches were decided in three frames and all were tightly-contested.

Ferris State will continue a three-match homestand to start conference play with the Bulldogs next slated to host Michigan Tech on Friday (March 25) in a doubleheader at the Racuqet and Fitness Center. The women's match gets underway at 1 p.m. (ET) with the men's contest slated for a 5 p.m. (ET) start.

The complete match results can be found at this link:
https://ferrisstate.prestosports.com/sports/mten/2021-22/releases/20220319vpw2ot