Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Grinnell College men's tennis team lost a hard-fought 5-4 battle to Hope College in a battle of regionally-ranked squads Thursday.

Grinnell, ranked 13th in the Central Region of NCAA Division III, won two of three doubles matches with the No. 2 squad of Colin Johnson and Tracy Johnson (8-4) and No. 3 tandem of Benjamin Charney '15 and C.J. Ray '16 (8-6). Emilio Gomez '15 won 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and Aaron Lapkin '15 posted a 6-1, 6-1 win at the No. 6 spot.

Grinnell is now 16-7, while Hope – the No. 16 team in the region – is 5-2.

“This was a great college tennis match,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “We were playing the No. 16 team in the region and we're No. 13, so it just goes to show the depth of the Central Region. Emilio Gomez had a fantastic singles win after dropping the first set. He rallied back to win the next two sets.

“We played very good doubles, particularly at 2 and 3, and we were solid at 1,” he added. “We continue to see Aaron Lapkin rise into the lineup after joining the team in March after his theater debut. Hat's off to the Hope players and my team for a great match.”

Grinnell was slated to play Hobart College later Thursday.