Wheaton Box Score
UW-Whitewater Box Score

MADISON, Wis. – In a battle of regionally-ranked teams, the Grinnell College men's tennis squad emerged with a 6-3 victory over Wheaton College Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Invite.

Grinnell, 14th in the Central Region rankings and one spot behind Wheaton, got all of its victories from four players. Colin Johnson '13 and Tracy Johnson '16 combined to win 8-5 at No. 2 doubles, while Daniel Nellis '13 and C.J. Ray '16 posted an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles.

Nellis also won at No. 3 singles by a 6-4, 6-4 score, Ray posted a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4, Tracy Johnson was victorious 6-0, 6-3 at No. 5 and Colin Johnson sailed to a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 6.

The Pioneers also lost a 9-0 decision to UW-Whitewater, ranked eighth in the region and 29th in the nation, on Saturday.

“I'm pretty pleased with the victory over Wheaton, which is a quality program that beat us last year,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “For us to come to a tournament in Wisconsin and come away with victories against UW-Oshkosh and Wheaton is a sign we have a good team. We did take it on the chin against UW-Whitewater, but I suspect they're one of the top 15 teams in the country and definitely one of the better squads we'll play all year.

“In the Wheaton match, Colin and Tracy had a nice doubles victory at the second spot and Daniel and C.J. gave us steady play at No. 3,” the coach added. “As it has been the last couple of years, the middle to the bottom of the lineup is steady and strong. I'm especially pleased with the play of two rookies, C.J. and Tracy, who have been pretty strong in singles so far this year.

“And our seniors, Daniel and Colin, also showed their experience in closing out their matches against Wheaton opponents,” he continued. “We have something to build upon after our program played four matches this weekend.”

Grinnell, 7-3, will host Lake Forest College and Knox College next Saturday at the Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center Field House. The Lake Forest match is at 8:30 a.m. and the Knox contest is at 4:30 p.m. Lake Forest and Knox will play at 12:30 p.m.