The Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team picked up several home wins against major competitors over the weekend, finishing 6-1 overall and 5-1 in GLIAC play.

Friday afternoon, the Lakers swept Lake Superior State University at home, 9-0.

During the GLIAC match, Anne Marie Morin, who is 5-0 in conference matches, defeated Lake Superior’s Holly Daniel, who was previously undefeated at her No. 5 singles spot. No. 4 singles Alyssa Lucas also had a strong game, defeating the competition 6-1, 6-2 and continuing her 7-0 undefeated record this season.

Lucas, a senior, said tennis is a collaborative sport, even when playing singles, and emphasized the aspect of team camaraderie.

“The main thing is that we’re all there supporting each other and cheering for each other, because I know that helps a lot,” Lucas said. “I think the matches all went really well.”

At the first of their two Saturday games, the Lakers faced off against the Michigan Technological Institute Huskies, finishing 7-2.

Top singles players Niki Shipman and Tara Hayes fell to the competition, but the rest of the team claimed victory in straight sets.

In the afternoon, the Lakers swept Davenport University, handing the Panthers their second loss of the season.

The Lakers won 9-0, all in straight sets except for No.1 singles Leah Dancz, who managed to pull off a conclusive win in the third set with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 10-5. Freshman Kali Phillips, who partnered with Dancz for the No. 3 doubles game, played particularly well, earning the duo an 8-0 victory.

“Everyone played very well and all the doubles players did really well working together and using what we’ve been working on in practice,” said Phillips. “If we continue to play this well, I’m confident we’ll finish top three in our conference.”

Sunday morning, the Lakers ended their sweep by defeating Hillsdale College, 7-2.

Losing only the No. 1 singles, and the No. 1 doubles matches, GVSU dominated the Chargers in five shutout set games. In her No. 5 singles slot, Kali Phillips pulled off another strong win, owning the court with a solid 6-0, 6-0 win.

The game, which was played at Ramblewood Tennis and Health Club due to rain, was yet another conference victory for the Lakers, who are quickly closing the gap on No. 1-ranked Northwood University, who they play next week.

“We’ve had a lot of freshmen playing this weekend,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “I think our freshmen went undefeated in singles and doubles this weekend, which is a good sign, not only for right now, but for the future of the tennis program. We need our younger players to step it up, and we need the upperclassmen to lead the way.”

Black says that this weekend’s matches were all about perfecting the blend of skill and teamwork that is tennis.

“We picked up three conference wins, and we’re moving towards the top of the conference,” he said. “Hopefully we can challenge [Northwood]. We’re playing a little bit better each of our matches, which is a good sign that we’re getting closer to our goals.”

The Lakers play next on Tuesday against Northwood at GVSU. The matches begin at 4 p.m.

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