Taylor Picks Up Pair of Singles Victories Against IWU

GREENTOWN, Ind. – Taylor picked up a pair of singles victories Saturday afternoon but fell 5-2 to Indiana Wesleyan in Crossroads League play at the Howard County Tennis Center in Greentown.

The Trojans entered riding a 7-0 sweep of Mount Vernon Nazarene from earlier in the week and showed fight in several flights despite the result.

IWU took the doubles point behind wins at all three flights. Tyler Lane and Graham Beukelman fell 6-2 at No. 1, where the pair has made a team-high 12 appearances together this season. Joseph Harper and Matthew Williams dropped a 6-2 decision at No. 2 in their fifth appearance as a duo. Ian Helfert and Andrew Roth were blanked 6-0 at No. 3 in their fourth appearance together.

Beukelman provided the Trojans' first singles point at No. 3, taking the opening set 6-4 before his opponent retired at the start of the second. Josh Clegg delivered TU's other point in dramatic fashion at No. 6 singles, rallying from a 5-7 first-set loss to take the second set 6-3 and the match tiebreaker 10-8. Clegg earned his third win in eight singles appearances this season across the No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 flights.

Lane fell 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, where he has been a fixture all year. He stands at 9-5 overall in a team-high 14 appearances. Harper dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision at No. 2 singles in his 14th appearance across the No. 2 and No. 3 flights.

Helfert fell 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 in his sixth appearance at that flight this season. Dawson competed at No. 5 singles and fell 6-4, 6-3 in what was the closest loss of the afternoon for TU. Dawson moved to 6-5 in 11 appearances, with nine of those coming at the No. 5 flight.

Taylor (4-8, 1-4 CL) returns home Tuesday, April 7, to host Spring Arbor at 3 p.m.