The Warhawk men’s tennis team responded from an 8-1 loss to Washington University in St. Louis last week to home victories over Carthage and Edgewood Colleges April 25.

The Warhawks smashed Carthage with a score of 8-1 and defeated Edgewood by a score of 6-1 in a match that was stopped early due to rain. UW-Whitewater is now 15-6 overall, and have secured 14 straight seasons of at least 15 wins.

“I think the guys came mentally prepared to play,” head coach Frank Barnes said. “Carthage is one of our regional rivals so we knew they would have a good squad.”

The Warhawks swept doubles against Carthage. Senior Jimmy Englehart and freshman Alex Gray won at first position with an 8-3 victory. Senior Brandon Dechter and freshman Noah Guillermo won at second position with an 8-6 victory. Junior Zach Wood and freshman Ryan Mitchell completed the sweep with an 8-6 win.

“Two and three were behind at one point,” Barnes said. “They were able to figure out a way to win close matches, so that’s a sign of a good team.”

In singles, Englehart came from behind to win at number one in three sets. Dechter won at number two in three sets as well. Gray, Wood and Mitchell all came out victorious in two sets.

With some players still playing against Carthage, the Warhawks relied on other members of the team to get wins. Senior Brett Conrad, freshman Parker Hearne and Noah Guillermo won in straight sets.

“We like to throw them in different situations like that to see how they respond because you have to be ready for anything, whether you know if you’re playing or not,” assistant coach Grant Thompson said. “Good to see everyone was ready to step up and I think everyone handled it pretty well.”

The Warhawks have won five out of their last six duals.         

“A big part of why we’re playing so well right now is our team chemistry,” Gray said. “We’re a very close knit group and that translates onto the court.”

Next up for the Warhawks is Senior Day on April 28 against Kalamazoo College [Mich.], which is their last regular season game. Englehart will be recognized after the match for his career accomplishments at UW-Whitewater.

“It’d be great to get a win over Kalamazoo,” Thompson said. “They’ve beaten us the past few years and their a really tough team, but I think we have the group that can do it. Hopefully Jimmy can have a great last home match here and help us get the W.”