FRANKLIN, Ind. – Grizzly Park played host to the first two Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) matches of the season for the Griz men's tennis team, as they welcomed Transylvania and Manchester to Mickel-Hoover Tennis Complex on Saturday (Sept. 23).
The Grizzlies (3-2, 1-1 HCAC) opened the day with an 8-1 loss to the Pioneers (2-0, 1-0 HCAC) but bounced back in the afternoon to beat Manchester (0-4, 0-2 HCAC) by an 8-1 score.
Franklin's lone point in the morning session came courtesy of junior
Dustin Garrison at No. 2 singles, as he took a tie-breaker with his opponent by a 6-4, 6-7, 1-0 score.
The Grizzlies' fortunes changed in the afternoon, starting with a sweep of Manchester in doubles play. Garrison and
Layton Stieneker were 8-6 winners at No. 1 doubles, followed by an 8-5 win from the No. 2 pair of
Lucas Densford and
Ezra Schwier and an 8-3 victory from
Owen Pickerill and
Shay Kyser at the third spot in the lineup.
Singles plat saw
Nathan Jarboe win 6-3, 7-5 at the top spot and
Jaden Wells taking his No. 2 match 6-0, 6-1. Pickerill was a 6-1, 6-4 winner at the third spot, Schwier was a 6-0, 6-0 winner from the fifth position and
Nathan Robbins claimed a 6-3, 6-2 win from the sixth spot for his first collegiate victory.
Franklin closes out their fall schedule on Friday, Oct. 6, when they head to Columbus, Ohio for a meeting with Capital University.
