INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Post-season play for the Franklin College men's tennis team opened on Friday (May 4) night with the opening round of the 2018 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament at the West Indy Racquet Club.
Down by a point after doubles play, the Grizzlies (7-11) rallied back in a big way, taking four-of-five points in singles action against the Spartans (4-8). Franklin would capture their final two points with thrilling three-set wins, closing out a 5-3 victory over the Spartans to advance to the semifinals on Saturday (May 5) afternoon.
Franklin's top doubles tandem of Alex Hammer and Blake Amonett took care of business against Isaac Collis and Spencer Thomas, picking up an 8-5 win for their third straight doubles victory. But the rest of tandem play belonged to the Spartans, as Manchester headed into singles play with a one-point lead.
Hammer collected his second point of the night at the No. 1 singles spot, evening up the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Collis. Amonett followed suit with his second point of the evening, taking a 6-3, 6-2 win over Connor Eichenauer to put Franklin in front. Manchester evened things up at the No. 6 spot, setting the stage for a pair of dramatic showdowns to end the match.
First up was a meeting between Jacob Zachary and Isaac Miller at the No. 3 single spot. After dropping the first set 6-3, Zachary would bounce back to force a deciding set with a 6-1 win in the second. The final set needed a tie-breaker, where Zachary emerged with a 7-5 win to put the Grizzlies in front.
The deciding point came at the No. 4 singles spot, where Franklin's Kyle Sauley and Manchester's Kyler Love went the distance. Sauley took the opening set 6-2, but Love staved off defeat with a 7-5 win in the second set. With the match on the line, Sauley left little doubt in the third and deciding set, cruising to a 6-1 to close things out and send the Grizzlies to the semifinals.
Franklin will meet top-seeded Rose-Hulman on Saturday (May 5) afternoon in the semifinal match. First serve from West Indy Racquet Club is set for 4:00 p.m.
