HUNTINGTON – By virtue of its 6-3 win over Huntington on Tuesday, Grace College’s men’s tennis team jumped into a tie for first place in the Crossroads League. The Lancers (6-1; 6-1 CL) can clinch a share of the regular-season league title with a win over last-place St. Francis at Miller Field on Saturday. “Today was a really good win against a strong Huntington team. The difference was our depth,” said Grace head coach Larry Schuh. “We have a very deep team with Mike [Humphrey] and Jack [Wang] playing really well together in doubles and in singles. They’ve been a big help for us in conference as they earn wins match in and match out.” Michael Humphrey and Jack Wang accounted for three wins combined. The duo teamed up for an impressive 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles before continuing their success in singles play. Humphrey swept his opponent 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles, and Wang won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. The No. 1 doubles team of Michael Blevins and Nikola Todorovic earned an 8-3 victory over the Foresters (3-6; 3-4 CL) to give Grace an advantage heading into singles competition. Michael Blevins and Todorovic both had to battle for three sets before finding victory. Blevins dropped the first set 6-7 before rallying for a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles. Todorovic went ahead with a first-set 6-4 win at No. 3 singles before Huntington tied it with a 6-1 win. Todorovic clinched his match in the third set with a 6-2 win. “This has been our best season so far since I’ve been here,” said Schuh. “The best part about it is this is such a solid group of guys. Year in and year out, the guys compete hard but also pull hard for each other.” The Lancers are tied with Indiana Wesleyan and Marian for first place in the CL. IWU and Marian conclude the regular season with a dual match on Saturday. If Grace defeats St. Francis in their regular-season finale, the Lancers will hope for a Marian victory, which would give Grace the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.
WOMEN’S TENNIS WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s tennis team continued its late-season improvement with a come-from-behind 6-3 win over Huntington on Tuesday. The Lady Lancers (2-5; 2-5 Crossroads League) lost two of three doubles points before rallying to win five singles competitions en route to the team’s second straight league win. Sarah Hinkel and Esther Smith earned the only doubles victory for Grace with an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles. Freshman Taryn Wuensch continued her impressive first season by pulling out a clutch 7-5, 7-5 win at No. 2 singles. Nicole Beguin at No. 3 singles also found herself in a tough match and was victorious by the score of 7-6 (5), 6-1. Janelle Hess won the only three-set match of the afternoon with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win at No. 4 singles. Hinkel coasted to a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles, and Smith rounded out Grace’s points at No. 6 singles by the score of 6-4, 6-1. The Lady Lancers wrap up the regular season with a pair of home matches, including against Northwestern Ohio at 2:30 p.m. Thursday and against St. Francis at 10 a.m. Saturday.
