Bryan Morrow Head Coach | Wayne State University Athletics Website
Bryan Morrow Head Coach | Wayne State University Athletics Website
The Wayne State University men's tennis team, holding a 16-10 record, is set to compete against Washburn University, which boasts a 20-4 record, in the NCAA Finals Round of 16. The match is scheduled for Tuesday at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Wayne State has been seeded No. 11 by the NCAA, while Washburn holds the sixth seed.
This marks Wayne State's third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Finals. In 2022, they advanced to the national championship match but were defeated by Barry after victories over Southern New Hampshire, Embry Riddle, and Columbus State. Last year, they overcame Washburn before losing to Barry again in the quarterfinals.
The Warriors have recently won 10 out of their last 12 matches. Their only losses were against Ferris State during both the GLIAC regular season and tournament championship matchups. Notable victories include wins over Hillsdale and Indianapolis earlier this year. Despite facing challenges during spring break with losses to Rollins, Flagler, Embry-Riddle, and Barry, Wayne State secured NCAA Midwest Regional wins against Tiffin and Grand Valley State.
Daniel Grey leads Wayne State as the GLIAC Player of the Year and ranks fifth nationally in singles. He has partnered with Cedric Drenth for doubles play; together they are ranked No. 1 by the ITA and have won 12 of their last 13 matches. Dom Spicer and Luke Laws also contribute significantly to doubles success with recent wins.
Washburn enters this matchup on a five-match winning streak since their loss to Southern Arkansas on April 21st. Tim Hammes stands out as a key player for Washburn; he was named Player to Watch in the Central Region by ITA and has an impressive singles record alongside notable achievements in doubles with Santiago Rendon.
Historically, Wayne State defeated Washburn earlier this year in Indianapolis with a score of 4-1 after securing all three doubles flights and singles wins at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 positions.
The victor between Wayne State and Washburn will advance to face either Saint Leo or Queens (NY) in the national quarterfinals scheduled for Wednesday.
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