Throughout the year, the Grand Valley State University men’s tennis team has preached the importance of its doubles matches. To win 2-for-3 in the doubles gives a team a huge advantage heading into the six singles matches.

This past weekend, it cost the Lakers the win.

GVSU dropped a tight 5-4 decision against Wayne State University this past Friday, as the Lakers found themselves behind 2-1 after doubles play and split the singles matches 3-3.

In the final doubles match for the Lakers, Jeff Globerson and Ryan Diebold battled back after an early deficit, only to lose 9-8 in the tiebreaker.

“We expected to win that last doubles match,” said Globerson, a sophomore. “We got off to a bad start, got it back, but then lost in a tiebreaker. It hurt because it was the match that ultimately made us lose.”

Senior Pat Snyder said the Lakers did not play up to their potential in the match against the Warriors. The team, which played outside in Michigan for the first time this year, had its struggles compounded by the windy weather on Friday.

“It was a tough match, the conditions outside didn’t help us at all,” he said. “It was a windy day, and we’re not used to that. With the last four matches indoors, coming outdoors pretty much made it a neutral site for both of us. There was no home-court advantage at all.”

The team fell in a 3-1 hole after the Lakers’ No. 1 Marc Roesslein dropped his match to WSU’s No. 1 Bertrand Moulin. Roesslein actually swept the first set, 6-0, before being taken down by Moulin after that, 6-2, 6-0.

“(Moulin) is one of the top players in our region, and he’s a very streaky player,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “In the first set, Marc was playing well and his opponent was not, and Marc took it pretty easy. The second and third set, (Moulin) elevated his game tremendously. Marc gave it his best but he just got beat by a guy playing better.” The Lakers will face No. 12 Northwood University on Tuesday. The Timberwolves enter the matchup undefeated in the GLIAC. It will be a pivotal matchup for the Lakers, as they enter the match 3-2 in the conference and need a big win to make nationals.

“I want to see some intensity,” Snyder said. “I want us to come out, play right from the start, have everyone on the same page and play our best tennis. We’re capable of playing so much better than what we are right now and we have not come out with a team effort except for maybe two or three times this year.”

Tuesday’s matchup will start at 2 p.m. at the tennis courts on the Allendale campus. If the weather does not comply, the matches will head indoors at the Ramblewood Tennis club, located in Grandville.

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