WINONA LAKE, Ind. – With a sweep of St. Francis on Saturday morning, Grace's men's tennis team made history by finishing tied for first in the Crossroads League standings.
The Lancers (7-2; 7-1 CL) earned a share of the regular-season league title for the first time since 1989.
“I could not be happier for our guys. We've waited a long time from last year's disappointment at the end of the season,” said Grace head coach Larry Schuh. “We put in a lot of work since last year, and we were very hopeful to be in this exact position to win conference.”
Grace swept through doubles competitions, winning 24 of 29 games en route to an early three-point advantage.
Nikola Todorovic and Michael Blevins won 8-1 at No. 1 doubles, Daniel Sanchez and Aaron Blevins blanked their opponents 8-0 at No. 2 doubles, and Jack Wang and Michael Humphrey won 8-4 at No. 3 doubles.
Grace needed just two singles points to clinch the league title, and they got both at the top two spots. Sanchez won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, and Michael Blevins clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles.
Aaron Blevins at No. 3 singles and Wang at No. 5 singles dropped only one game in their two-set victories, and Humphrey won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.
Senior Josh Beguin wrapped up Grace's scoring with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles.
The Lancers earned the No. 2 seed in the Crossroads League Tournament, which starts on Tuesday. Grace will play seventh-seeded Taylor at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Miller Field. With a win, Grace will advance to the semifinals at home on Thursday before the tournament championship match on Saturday.
The winner of the Crossroads League Tournament receives an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship from May 14-18 in Mobile, Ala.
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. Daniel Sanchez won 6-0, 6-0
2. Michael Blevins won 6-1, 6-1
3. Aaron Blevins won 6-1, 6-0
4. Michael Humphrey won 6-0, 6-2
5. Jack Wang won 6-1, 6-0
6. Josh Beguin won 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. Michael Blevins/Nikola Todorovic won 8-1
2. Aaron Blevins/Daniel Sanchez won 8-0
3. Michael Humphrey/Jack Wang won 8-4
