Defiance Blows Past Student Princes, 8-1

DEFIANCE, OHIO  –-  Strong winds caused for altered play during the men's tennis action between the host Defiance College and Student Princes from Heidelberg University Monday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets (6-4) were able to adjust to the conditions quickly by taking all three doubles points to kickstart their way to an 8-1 victory against Heidelberg (0-7).

The third doubles team of sophomore Tory Savage (Bryan) and freshman Adam Swisher (Bedford, Mich./Bedford) used the wind by applying high pressure at the net which forced their opponents into difficult situations. With this pressure, the duo were the first to claim a point with an 8-0 sweep. The win advances their record to 2-1.

Senior Ryan Nelson (Oregon/Clay) and sophomore James Demeo (Oregon/Clay) followed shortly with an 8-1 victory at second doubles to make their record 2-1 as well. A first doubles win by seniors Mike Ross (Bryan) and Justin Walker (Wilson, N.C. /Hunt) rounded out the doubles sweep. This win evened out the pair's record to 5-5.

Making his varsity debut with force, sophomore Nathan Height (Wabash, Ind. /Wabash) captured a 6-0, 6-1 victory at the number six singles position to push the team's lead to 4-0.  With Height's win, the Yellow Jackets only needed to capture one more singles win for an overall success. The capping moment came by the hands of Swisher at fifth singles. Now 6-4 in singles, Swisher topped made quick work of his opponent 6-0, 6-1.

Even with the team win, the Jackets were not done quite yet. At number three singles, Nelson took the first set 6-1 but had to overcome his resilient opponent in the second set. Nelson (6-2) held strong to capture the set 6-3 sealing the point in the process. Shortly after, Walker captured another point for Defiance at the number four position 6-0, 6-1 to move his record to 6-3. The final win on the night was at the second singles position by Demeo (5-4) with a 6-2, 6-2 decision.

The next outing for Defiance will be its second Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference match of the season. The Yellow Jackets will host the visiting Manchester (Ind.) University Spartans (0-4, 0-0 HCAC) on Wednesday, April 1. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm from the Dix Tennis Facility.