Yellow Jackets Victorious in HCAC Contest

DEFIANCE, OHIO – In the team's second Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference match of the season, the Defiance College Yellow Jackets defeated the Manchester (Ind.) University Spartans by a score of 8-1.

Defiance (7-4, 2-0 HCAC) got off to an early advantage taking two of the three points through doubles before sweeping all six singles points from Manchester (0-2, 0-1 HCAC).

The duo of senior Ryan Nelson (Oregon/Clay) and sophomore James Demeo (Oregon/Clay) advance their record to 3-1 with a victory at second doubles. After opening the contest trading games, Nelson and Demeo took off to finish their opponents off 8-3.

Seniors Mike Ross (Bryan) and Justin Walker (Wilson, N.C. /Hunt) earned another point for the Jackets at number one doubles. In similar fashion, Ross and Walker went blow-for-blow early on before running away with an 8-5 victory, moving the pair's record to 6-5.

Even in an 8-5 defeat, sophomore Tory Savage (Bryan) and freshman Adam Swisher (Bedford, Mich. /Bedford) proved resilience in their outing at third doubles. Falling behind to an early 2-7 deficit, the Jackets tandem fought valiantly to narrow the gap.

Walker pushed the Jackets' lead to 3-1 with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory at fourth singles. The win advances his singles record to 7-4. Nelson, now 7-2, would soon follow up to advance the team's lead by sweeping his opponent 6-0, 6-0 at third singles.

After taking the first set 6-2, Demeo repelled a third set after trailing 0-3 early in the second set. Demeo tightened the score but still trailed 3-4 before capturing three games in a row. Demeo's record is now 6-4 following the victory. Swisher (7-4) handled his opponent in similar fashion as Demeo by taking the first set 6-2 but needed a tiebreaker to determine the second set. After Swisher forced the tiebreaker, he used his momentum to finalize the score at 6-2, 7-6 (7-0).

Savage (6-4) and Ross (5-5) were the ones needing comebacks to fight off their opposition. Savage dropped the first set 5-7 before stealing all momentum to win the final two sets 6-2, 6-0. Ross overcame his first set loss at the top spot and won the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Defiance will host Transylvania (Ky.) University on Saturday, Apr. 4.  The match is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Dix Tennis Courts.