The UW-Whitewater men’s tennis team defeated Wooster College on Saturday at the Aspen Racquet Club, in Wooster, Ohio, by a score of 7-2 to push their win streak to eight in a row.

With this win, the Warhawks improve their record to 8-2 on the season and are currently ranked 40 in the country, according to According to the Oracle ITA Division III Men’s National Team Rankings.

The Warhawks were led by a perfect performance in the doubles competition. The No. 1 pairing of Zane Navratil and Jimmy Engelhart improved their doubles record to 11-3 as a couple. They beat the Wooster’s No. 1 pair by a score of 8-4.

UW-Whitewater head coach Frank Barnes has been pleased with his doubles teams all year. He credits a lot of this to the chemistry that his players show together.

“Part of it is that we have settled in to some good chemistry combinations,” Barnes said. “The other part is just the energy we bring. It’s always good to come out of a match with a 3-0 doubles lead.”

UW-W’s No. 2 pairing of Matt Zurowski and Brandon Dechter also won their match by a score of 8-6, and the No. 3 pairing of Grant Thompson and Zach Wood continued the Warhawks’ doubles success with an 8-2 win.

Dechter stressed the importance of the Warhawks’ success in the Doubles competition.

“It’s awesome to get the doubles sweep.” Dechter said. “It really sets the tone for the match, and it takes a lot of the pressure off the singles players.”

Overall, Engelhart, Wood and Dechter had a good day. Not only did the three win their doubles matches, they also won their respected matches in the singles competition. Freshman Robert Rider did not participate in the doubles competition, but he too came out on top in his singles match in two sets.  

Not only did Rider come out with a big win for his team, he also had the opportunity to play in front of his parents, came traveled from Annapolis, Maryland, to watch him compete.

“Being from Maryland it’s not often that I get to see my parents, especially my dad because he’s always working.” Rider said. “It’s great that I was able to play well today, come out with the win and show my parents that I have got better here.”

The Warhawks hope to improve their win streak to nine games when they take on UW-Green Bay on March 9 at the Western Racquet Club in Green Bay.