Both GVSU tennis teams were victorious on the road this past weekend, with the men’s team defeating Southern Indiana and the women’s team defeating DePauw on Saturday, March 19. Following a 7-0 loss to Butler on Friday, the men’s team got back on track Saturday with a 4-1 victory, but it didn’t come without its challenges. 

“We had to battle the elements,” said assistant coach George Rodriguez. “It took some time for us to get used to playing outdoors and in colder temperatures.” 

The doubles team of Martin Matov and Jack Geisser started the meet off strong for the Lakers with a 6-3 victory in the two slot. 

The duo of Ryan Rhoades and Eric Zwemer continued the success, winning a back-and-forth match 6-4 in the three spot. 

“(Geisser) has really stepped up his game for us,” Rodriguez said. “He’s been coming through match after match in clutch situations.” 

Sebastien Lescoulie followed up the doubles team’s performances, winning 6-1 and 6-0 in the No. 1 singles position and improving his individual record to 10-2 on the season. 

“He’s a special player and he’s in the zone right now,” Rodriguez said. “He’s playing with tons of confidence and he’s looking to go undefeated the rest of the way.” 

Jack Geisser and Nicholas Urban finished off the Eagles with victories in the two and six spots. Geisser won his match in two sets, after 6-4 and 6-3 victories and Urban cemented the victory for the Lakers, winning his two sets with a combined score of 12-1. Coach Rodriguez was especially proud of the focus and control showed by Urban

“(Urban) is showing what it takes to win,” Rodriguez said. “His command on and off the court has helped our team come together and it’s going to be critical going forward.” 

The Lakers are officially over the half-way point of the season, but with GLIAC play starting in less than a week, their goal from the start of the season hasn’t changed. 

“We are trying to win all of our matches from here on out,” Rodriguez said. “We definitely have the team to do it. We want to improve day to day, practice to practice and match by match, both as individuals and as a team.” 

The women’s team swept DePauw 9-0, outscoring the Tigers 74 to 36 in singles matches and 24 to 14 in three doubles matches. The doubles team of Madison Ballard and Marija Leko started things off strong with an 8-3 victory. 

Vera Griva and Marily Canellopoulos followed suit, winning their match in the two spot with a score of 8-5. In the third match, Nicole Heiniger and Livia Christman won 8-3, finishing the doubles sweep for the Lakers. 

Five of the six individual matches were won by GVSU in only two sets. Fresh off her doubles victory, Griva led the way in the one spot with 6-1 and 6-2 victories. Leko and Canellopoulos also followed up their doubles success with two-set victories in the two and three spots. 

The only three-set match came in the four position matchup, where Livia Christman won a final set with a score of 7-6. Heiniger and Olivia Hanover closed out the Lakers’ sweep, with two-set victories in the five and six spot. 

The men’s team will be back on the court on Thursday, March 21, with a home meet against Hillsdale. The girl’s team will have an extended period of time off before traveling to Stow, Ohio and facing Indiana University Of Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 6.