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The Hillsdale College men’s tennis team closed its spring break trip with an important win over Midwest Regional foe Quincy on Tuesday night, downing the Hawks 5-2 in a PTR Spring Tennis Fest match on Hilton Head Island.

An opponent with a strong record and several big regional wins entering the week, Quincy was a valuable victory for the Chargers as they look to remain in the NCAA Tournament conversation entering conference play this weekend. 

Hillsdale got the match off to a strong start by winning the doubles point. The Chargers’ top doubles team of junior Henry Hammond and sophomore Ryan Papazov went the distance, winning a marathon match in an 8-6 tiebreak to clinch the point. Hillsdale sophomores Sam Plys and Rintaro Goda also picked up an important win at No. 3 doubles for the Chargers, 6-3.

In singles play, Hammond continued to play well, winning another lengthy match at No. 3 singles in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7. Plys, meanwhile, rolled to victory at No. 2 singles in a 6-1, 6-1 win and junior Ellis Klanduch also cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles. Sophomore Alex Cordero Lopez completed a strong trip for the Chargers with a win at No. 5 singles as well, taking the first set 7-5 and then dominating from there, winning the second set 6-1 to secure the match.

Hillsdale improves to 5-5 with the victory and now heads into the G-MAC season, starting with a trip to Midland, Michigan on Sunday to take on rival Northwood at 11 a.m. The Timberwolves are nationally ranked at 45th overall and a strong opponent expected to contend for the G-MAC title, giving the Chargers an opportunity to put themselves into the conversation as well if they can pull an upset.