Grand Rapids Reporter

The Ferris State University men's tennis team secured both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament championships, defeating Wayne State 4-3 in a closely contested match on April 28 at the Midland Tennis Center. This victory marks the fifth time in eight years that Ferris State has claimed the GLIAC Tournament title.

The Bulldogs started strong by winning two of three doubles flights, securing victories in both two and three doubles matches. In singles play, Esunge Ndumbe won at one singles with a score of 6-4, 6-2, while Alessandro Santangelo triumphed at five singles with a 6-1, 6-1 result.

Wayne State fought back to level the match at 3-3 after winning at two singles and achieving three-set victories at three and six singles. The decisive point came down to four singles, where Ferris State's Jan Koupil emerged victorious over Denali Kitayama with scores of 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

FSU head coach Mark Doren expressed his pride in the team's performance: "What an unbelievable day," he said. "The grit and determination that we showed today was amazing." He highlighted their goal of winning both the regular season and tournament titles: "We overcame some adversity at the end, and it was awesome to do this with such a great group of young men."

With an overall record of 17-4, Ferris State will now proceed to compete in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament. The official pairings for this event are set to be announced on May 6.