First up for the 'Hawks was UW-Oshkosh. It was a cold and windy day, but that is not something new for anyone who has played spring tennis in Wisconsin. Luckily, we preach to our team to embrace the elements and that is certainly what they did. In doubles, Whitewater jumped out to an early lead at 2 doubles and never gave it up winning 8-2. 3 doubles went down an early break 0-1 before winning the next 8 games. At 1 doubles the 'Hawks played well enough to give them the 7-4 lead, and a few match points, but UW-Oshkosh's number 1 doubles team was just too tough when it matter the most and they ended up coming back to win the doubles match 9-7.
At the start of singles it was obvious the Warhawks were not phased by the elements. 2 through 5 singles played extremely well, and no one dropped more than 4 games in a match. 1 and 6 singles were tough matches though. Brady Porter was up against a tough opponent who was pushing him to the limit, but his drive and toughness helped him come out the victor in this match 7-5, 7-5. At 1 singles Byron Balkin was playing a tough opponent who played well throughout the match and defeated him 6-3, 6-3. This brought the final score of the match to a 7-2 decision in favor of the Warhawks. While we were happy about the win, but we knew we had take care of business in our two matches the next day.
For individual match scores from the UW-Oshkosh match click here
First up on the schedule Saturday was UW-La Crosse. When doubles started out the Warhawks jumped out to early leads on all 3 courts. Court 2 was the first to finish winning 8-3. On court 1 UW-La Crosse's team climbed back from their early deficit and both teams were neck and neck fighting for each game. At 3 doubles the 'Hawks saw a 6-1 lead diminish to a 6-5 lead. It was at that point that Scanlan and Friend pulled it together, and played great doubles the last 3 games to close out the match 8-5. 1 doubles was still in a dogfight, but they eventually pulled out the match 9-7. The 'Hawks then showed off some strong singles play sweeping 1 through 6 singles from La Crosse. Some of the highlights included a 6-2, 6-3 victory from RJ Rademacher at 6 singles, and Byron Balkin at 1 singles who fought back from 2-5 deficit in the second set (after winning the first 6-4) to win the set in a tiebreaker 7-6(8-6). This match capped off a 9-0 win for the 'Hawks. All that stood in the way of a WIAC Final Four Title was UW-Eau Claire.
Our matches with UW-Eau Claire in the past have always been tight, and we weren't expecting anything different from this one. When doubles started again 2 doubles broke out to an early lead and sealed the match quickly 8-1. Soon after 3 doubles using stellar net play took their match 8-3. At that point all eyes turned to 1 doubles, who had gone down a break early but had fought their way back into the match. This match was like all the other matches 1 doubles had played all weekend, tight until the last point. Each team was jockeying for position, and finally the team from Eau Claire won the match in a tiebreaker. While Byron and Mitch were disappointed by that loss they knew it was time to move past it and play singles.
In singles the Warhawks took the first set at 1 through 4 singles, but fell in close tiebreakers at 5 and 6 singles. Andrew McGlashen was the first Warhawk off the court after his strong 6-1, 6-2 victory at 3 singles. This made the match score 3-1. Shortly after Andrew Bayliss won at 2 to make the match score 4-1. Around this time Balkin was trailing in his second set at 1 singles, Osborne was up a set and a break at 4 singles, and Scanlan and Porter were making runs in their second sets at 5 and 6 singles. Balkin ended up dropping his second at 1 singles, but Scanlan and Porter won their 2nd sets at 5 and 6. With the match score being 4-1 it looked like they would play out a third set to decide each match, but then Mitch Osborne ended up clinching the victory for the 'Hawks with a 6-3, 6-4 win at 4 singles. This would mean that 1, 5, and 6 singles would be decided in third set super breakers. Balkin ended up being able to pull out his super breaker out 10-7, but Scanlan and Porter both fell in theirs. This closed out the 6-3 victory for the 'Hawks and it meant that they would win their 7th WIAC Final Four in the last 8 years.
For individual match scores from the UW-La Crosse and UW- Eau Claire matches click here
Overall it was a great weekend for the Men's team. We have had some great victories recently and to back them up by beating some 3 good teams speaks volumes. Overall I am very pleased with how this team continues to develop both on and off the court. They have really come together, and they do a great job of supporting each other. Up next for the Men's team is an Iowa trip next weekend where the teams will play the University of Dubuque and Cornell College on Saturday and Coe College on Sunday. Go "Hawks!
Here are some pictures from this weekend's matches:
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