The Grinnell College men’s tennis team stretched its winning streak to eight matches, including a five-win string during its trip to Orlando, Fla., with a pair of victories Tuesday.
The Pioneers defeated both Augustana College of South Dakota and Hope College by 6-3 scores to move to 13-3 on the season.
In the win over Augustana, a team that is ranked in the Central Region of NCAA Division II, the Pioneers got doubles wins from the top team of Elliott Czarnecki ’15 and Michael Cole ’12 and the No. 3 squad of Emilio Gomez ’15 and Jimmy Yang ’15.
In singles, Cole won at No. 2, Conor Cunningham ’15 at No. 3, Rob Storrick ’15 at No. 5 and Colin Johnson ’13 at No. 6.
“We were able to play 10 of our players and show depth against a Division II team in this match,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “I was especially pleased with the way some of our younger players, like Conor Cunningham and Rob Storrick, stepped into the lineup and showed their abilities.”
Against Hope, Grinnell got a doubles win from the No. 2 team of Ishan Bhadkamkar ’13 and Benjamin Charney ’15. Grinnell also won 2 through 6 singles with Eric Ritter ’12, Daniel Nellis ’13, Bhadkamkar, Charney and Charlie Wilhelm ’15.
“We continue to play very well on the singles court,” said Hamilton. “I was especially pleased with the way Eric Ritter and Daniel Nellis are playing. I’d say the stars of the match were Ishan and Benjamin, who came up with an important doubles point for us while also getting victories on the singles court. Today was a day that we definitely needed our depth, and that played out in singles.”
Grinnell meets Carthage College on Wednesday.
