ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Grinnell College's men's tennis team tuned up for its spring break trip by knocking off a talented Carthage College team 5-4 Friday.
 
The 38^th-ranked Pioneers broke out to a 2-1 lead through a tightly-contested doubles bout, winning 8-6 at the No. 1 spot with Aiden Klass '25 and Lucas Willett '26 and 8-7 (11-9) at No. 3 with Wilder Cooke '25 and Leo Esztergomi '24.
 
Grinnell inched closer to the team victory early in singles play with wins by Willett at No. 2 by a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) margin and Sam Rudenberg '25 with identical 6-2 scores at No. 4.
 
The 10-2 Pioneers clinched the victory with a thrilling win by Klass at No. 5, as he rallied from a 6-3 first-set loss to take the second set 7-6 (7-3) and third by a 6-1 margin.

Grinnell faces Frostburg State and the College of Wooster Monday in Hilton Head, S.C.