HANOVER, Ind. – Despite taking three singles matches to a third set, the Hanover men's tennis team dropped its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener to Earlham Thursday evening, 8-1.

The Panthers (4-9, 0-1 HCAC) found themselves in early holes in each of the three doubles matches to start the day. Highlighting the team's overall performance were juniors Brent Barrett (New Palestine, Ind.) and Alec Bates (New Albany, Ind.), who rallied from a 6-1 deficit to win the No. 2 doubles slot, 9-8 (8-6). Barrett would go on to take the opening set of the No. 3 singles match but was one of three Panther players to fall in three frames.

Sophomores Landon Carrico (New Albany, Ind.) and Mitchell Minniear (Muncie, Ind.) also attempted a late rally in doubles play before falling 8-6. Carrico took the three-time HCAC Player of the Year, Vitalii Stadnyk, to the limit in the top singles spot before losing 7-5, 6-4. Minniear rallied from a first set loss to win the second frame, 6-4, forcing a third and decisive set. The sophomore though, fell 6-0 in the tiebreaker round.

In No. 6 singles action, freshman Roger Trombley (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) recovered from a second set deficit to win 7-6, taking the tiebreaker 7-4. Unfortunately, as was the them for HC all night, the come-from-behind effort would fall just short, as the freshman fell in the third set, 6-1.

The Panthers will look to bounce back when they travel to face HCAC preseason favorite, Rose-Hulman, at 6 p.m., Saturday, April 7.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@hanover.edu