Men’s Tennis Drops Heartbreaker to Tiffin in Regular Season Finale

Box Score Tiffin, Ohio- The University of Findlay men's tennis team engaged in a back-and-forth thriller against Tiffin University on Saturday, April 18, ultimately falling just short in a 4-3 decision. Despite the narrow defeat, the Oilers demonstrated incredible resilience, battling back from an early deficit to force the match down to the final court. With the loss, Findlay concludes the regular season with an 11-7 record and 6-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Meanwhile, Tiffin improves to 20-5 and remains a perfect 8-0 in league play to secure the regular season title.

The afternoon began with a challenging doubles round where Tiffin managed to secure the opening point. The Oilers fought hard across all three flights, but the Dragons were able to sweep the session to take a 1-0 lead. The No. 3 duo of sophomore Aleksander Ivancevic and junior Nicolo Lippolis was the first to finish in a 6-4 battle, followed by a pair of intense tiebreaker losses at the top two spots. Senior Soh Kuyama and sophomore Matthis Veniard pushed their opponents to the limit at No. 2 before falling 7-6(6), while junior Clement Andrieu and sophomore Grant Hawkins also dropped a 7-6(2) heartbreaker at the No. 1 position.

Singles play was a display of grit as Findlay rallied to tie the overall score. After Tiffin extended their lead with a win at the No. 4 spot, Andrieu put the Oilers on the board with a brilliant comeback victory at No. 2, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. Tiffin took the No. 1 flight to move within one point of clinching, but the Oilers refused to go away. Lippolis secured a vital 6-3, 7-6 win at No. 6, and Ivancevic followed suit with a 6-0, 7-5 victory at No. 5 to level the match at 3-3. The dual match ultimately came down to a grueling three-set battle at the No. 3 position, where sophomore Runa Kagoshima fought valiantly before falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, sealing the 4-3 victory for the Dragons.

The Oilers will return to action at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament, set for April 23–25 in Owensboro, Ky.

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Players Mentioned

Grant Hawkins: Sophomore

Runa Kagoshima: Sophomore

Soh Kuyama: Graduate Student

Matthis Veniard: Sophomore

Nicolo Lippolis: Junior

Players Mentioned

Grant Hawkins
: Sophomore

Runa Kagoshima
: Sophomore

Soh Kuyama
: Graduate Student

Matthis Veniard
: Sophomore

Nicolo Lippolis
: Junior