The Wabash tennis team played host to seven other teams as part of the annual Kerry Seward Memorial Tennis Tournament Saturday and Sunday. The Little Giants finished third in the final team scoring with three members finishing in the top three spots in individual competition.
Wabash, scoring 46 points at the end of the two-day tournament, edged North Coast Athletic Conference opponents Earlham (45 points) and Wittenberg (44 points). Oberlin won the event with 62 points, with Rose-Hulman (48 points) taking second. Transylvania (33 points), Anderson (27 points), and Hanover (19) rounded out the scoring.
Senior Nathan Cain (Columbus, IN/Columbus North) and Nathan Mullendore (Crawfordsville, IN/Crawfordsville) were the top individual finishers for Wabash. Cain won his opening match at number two singles 4-6, 7-6 (4), 10-8 to advance to the semifinals. There he claimed a 6-2, 1-6, 10-7 victory to face Oberlin’s Chris Pray in the finals. Pray held out, winning 7-5, 6-2 to take the title.
Mullendore came from behind in his first match at number six singles, rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 win. He took a three-set win (6-7 (3), 6-2, 10-8) victory in the next round before losing in the finals to Wittenberg’s Ryan Snyder 4-6, 7-5, 10-4.
Brett Bishop (Monticello, IN/Twin Lakes) took third at number five singles. He took a marathon 7-6, 2-6, 13-11 win in the first round, but lost 6-1, 6-3 in the semis. Bishop went three sets before earning a 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 victory on Sunday.
Adrian Starnes (Crawfordsville, IN/Crawfordsville) was 2-1 overall to take fourth at number three singles. He lost his opening match, but won his next two – including a 6-3, 6-0 victory in the finals.