Men's Tennis Ends Season With Loss Against Transylvania (Ky.)

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.  --  The Defiance College men's tennis team ended its season with a 5-1 loss against Transylvania (Ky.) University in the opening round of the 2015 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at the West Indy Racquet Club in Indianapolis, Ind.

Defiance (10-8) and Transylvania (5-7) began the day with three doubles matches.  The Pioneers swept all three matches to give the team a commanding 3-0 lead heading into singles action.

Needing just two points to claim the overall match victory, Transylvania's Robert Albrecht defeated Defiance senior Mike Ross (Bryan), 6-1 and 6-2 to move ahead by an overall score of 4-0.  The Yellow Jackets' kept play going as sophomore James Demeo (Oregon/Clay) came away with a straight-set victory at number two singles, beating his opponent by the scores of 6-3 and 6-1. 

The deciding match came at third singles.  Senior Ryan Nelson (Oregon/Clay) captured the first set of the match by a final of 6-1.  Transylvania then won the next two sets, 6-4 and 7-5, to record the deciding fifth and final team point to go on to the 5-1 match victory.

The Pioneers will advance to the HCAC Tournament semifinals were they will meet top-seeded Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology tomorrow (Saturday, May 2).

DC ends the 2015 campaign with its second straight season of 10 or more victories.  The Yellow Jackets also made a third straight appearance in the HCAC postseason.  Individually, Defiance had three players post 11 singles wins in Demeo, Nelson and freshman Adam Swisher (Bedford, Mich./Bedford) to lead the team.  Senior Justin Walker (Wilson, N.C./Hunt) also ended the season with a double-digit win total with 10 victories with eight coming at the No. 4 singles spot.  The duo of Ross and Walker led the team in doubles action with eight total wins, including seven wins at No. 1 doubles.