The Hillsdale College men's tennis team couldn't pay off a fast start into victory in a close match against Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon in Erie, Pennsylvania, as the Chargers fell to the Lakers 5-2 in a road match.

Hillsdale once again got off to a strong start in doubles thanks to victories from its No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams. Sophomore Aidan Pack and senior Sean Barstow won a 6-4 contest at No. 1 doubles for the Chargers, while senior Daniel Gilbert and freshman Henry Hammond also picked up a 6-4 win in the No. 3 doubles slot to give Hillsdale the doubles point and a 1-0 lead in the match.

Hammond continued a strong outing for the Chargers in singles play, rolling past Mercyhurst's Mykhailo Polishcuck for a 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles to complete an undefeated day for Hillsdale. The Chargers also had two three-set matches that didn't go their way despite strong efforts from Pack at No. 1 singles and Gilbert at No. 6 singles. Pack won the first set 6-3 before coming up short to Mercyhurst's Danylo Rekun, while Gilbert rallied from a first-set loss for a 6-1 second set victory to force a 10-point tiebreak against Mercyhurst's Sviatoslav Koliadynski, but Kolyadinski was able to prevail in the end.

Hillsdale is now 2-3 overall and has two matches this coming weekend, hosting Lake Superior State on Saturday for a regional match before traveling north to Big Rapids to take on Ferris State on Sunday.

Photo by Anthony Lupi