The DePauw men’s tennis team faced off against No. 33 ranked team in division II, Grand Valley State University, on Saturday.
After a hard fought battle, the men were unable to pull out the victory. The visiting Lakers defeated Tigers with a final score of 5-4.
Sophomore Gregory Frauenheim said the competitiveness was evident through the entirety of the meet.
“We fought really hard, and overall our doubles was very strong,” Frauenheim said. “We were volleying and closing out points well.”
The Tigers took an early lead with No. 1 and No. 2 doubles securing wins in two close matches.
At No. 1 doubles, seniors Dan Rodefeld and Matt Santen were able to collect a 9-8 win. In the second flight, seniors Nate Wallace and Harold Martin claimed a 8-6 victory to give DePauw a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers’ lead began to waver through singles play as flights one, four, and six dropped their matches in straight sets.
Frauenheim later did the same, falling 7-6, 6-4 at No. 3 singles.
“I think it was a matter of a few individual things that we needed to work on,” Frauenheim said.
DePauw’s two wins from singles play came from No. 2 Santen and No. 4 Wallace.
Although the Lakers trailed for most of the meet, the wins secured through singles play rounded out their victory.
With the loss, the Tigers now fall to 4-4 on the season. DePauw looks to get back on track tonight as they travel to Franklin College.
“We are working on what we saw needed improvement against GVSU,” Frauenheim said. “We are working to get more wins out of stronger teams later in the season.”
Following their midweek match, they plan to host No. 6 Washington University on Saturday.