The No. 28 ranked men’s tennis team (ITA poll) traveled to St. Peter, Minn. last Saturday to take on  Gustavus Adolphus College and Augustana College

The Warhawks fell to the Gusties for the ninth consecutive time with a score of 8-1, but then defeated the Vikings later in the day 9-0.
The ’Hawks will start their five game trip in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, and will play five games, and return home on April 1.

“It was a disappointing road trip.” head coach Frank Barnes said.  “We thought we had a good shot coming in, but we started off flat and made some uncharacteristic mistakes that cost us.”

The first match ended in disappointment as the `Hawks No. 1 doubles team, junior Mitch Osborne and freshman Byron Balkin, lost 8-3.  The two were previously undefeated.

The only win for the `Hawks was picked up by the No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Andrew Bayliss and freshman Ethan Niquet, who improved to 9-1 on the season.

“I thought we played well in doubles, considering we fought from 4-6 to 8-6 and got the win,” Niquet said.  “That kept the team in it as we moved into singles down 1-2.”

Bayliss and Niquet continued their great play into their singles matches but were unable to come away with victories.
They were the only two singles players for the `Hawks to win a set.

Bayliss suffered a minor back injury hindering his performance. The injury prevented him from participating in singles against the Vikings entirely.

“Between doubles and singles Andrew was on the court for almost four hours,” Barnes said.  “I think the fatigue just got to him and he pulled a muscle in his back.”

The team kicks off its spring trip against Grinnell College March 21.

“I’m hoping we can bounce back from this tough loss,” Barnes said.  “After our trip we will know just how mentally tough we are as a team.”