Yellow Jackets win third straight with 7-2 victory over Ravens

ANDERSON, Ind. - Defiance College men's tennis team was able to pull off its third victory in row Wednesday with a 7-2 win against Anderson University in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets (8-6, 3-1 HCAC) came into the day behnd Anderson (2-2, 2-1 HCAC) in the Standings, as the Ravens entered the match undefeated in HCAC play.

The first and third doubles pairings came out hot and held on for close victories to start off the day. Mike Ross and Ryan Nelson won their match 8-6, and James Demeo and Tory Savage had an 8-5 win.

The second doubles pairing of Cord Speelman and Justin Walker started down 0-3. The duo responded by winning 6 points in row. Anderson tried to come back and won the next point, but Speelman and Walker held on and won the final two points, winning the match 8-4.

In individual matches, Demeo had a strong performance against Anderson's Andrew Gingerich, winning both sets 6-1.

Walker was able to play off his first victory of the night to defeat Ethan Hillman in two strong sets. Walker won the first set 6-2 and the second set 6-3.

Savage obtained his second win for the night by defeating Connor Snyder in individuals with a strong first set victory 6-1. Savage had to fight for a tough second set victory, needing an extra point, but he went on to win the second set 7-5.

With the wins, Demeo (4-0), Walker (4-0) and Savage (3-0) continued their hot start in conference play, remaining undefeated in singles play.

Nelson was also able to pick up a victory for Defiance as well on the evening, going up against Dillon Lockwood. Nelson defeated Lockwood with a 6-1 first set victory. Like Savage, Nelson needed the extra point to defeat Lockwood in the second set, winning 7-5.

Ross had a tough loss in singles play against Drew Lovern. Ross came out strong but fell in the first set 6-4. However, the senior was able to maintain his poise and won the second set 6-4 to stay alive. However, in th third set tiebreaker, Ross fell behind and couldn't recover, dropping the point and match 10-8.

Speelman also came up short in singles action with a loss against Connor Whiteside, falling 6-0, 6-2.

Defiance will look to maintain its win streak and stay in the top portion of the HCAC Standings with an 11 a.m. match Saturday at Hanover.