With its back to the wall, the Grinnell College men’s tennis team responded with authority in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament Friday afternoon at Saint Peter, Minn.
The Pioneers fell behind 2-1 in doubles play against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, but were not fazed. Instead, the Pioneers reeled off wins in four of five singles matches to clinch the 5-3 victory.
Grinnell, ranked 13th in the Central Region, improved to 23-7 while 14th-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire dipped to 24-6. The 23rd win for Grinnell ranks second-best in school history for a season victory total.
The win makes the Pioneers men’s tennis squad the first team in Grinnell history to win two games/matches at the regional level.
Earning two wins on the day for Grinnell was Ishan Bhadkamkar ’13 (pictured), who teamed up to win 8-4 at No. 3 doubles with Martin Dluhos ’12 and also won 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5 singles.
Also winning in singles were Dmitriy Glumov ’11 at No. 2 (6-3, 6-3), Colin Johnson ’13 at No. 4 (0-6, 7-5, 6-0) and Daniel Nellis ’13 at No. 6 (6-3, 6-2). Juan Carlos Perez ’11 was still playing his No. 1 singles match when the victory was clinched.
“I’m really pleased for our guys to gain the victory and move into the round of 32,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “It was not our typical match as we struggled in doubles and were down 1-2 after that. For us to pull out the victory having been down is a true testament to every man being accountable for his position.
“The No. 3 doubles team was down 4-1 and reeled off seven straight wins, and that was very important to the complexion of the match,” he added. “Today was the day of the super sophomores. For Ishan, Colin and Daniel to post singles victories shows they’re maturing as players and our program is getting stronger. Dmitriy played a smart and solid match at No. 2 singles. I knew that position could be pivotal for us.”
Grinnell will face the University of Chicago, ranked ninth in the nation, at 10 a.m. Saturday.
