After defeating Lake Superior State in their first GLIAC matchup of the season, the Bulldogs will continue their four-match homestand as they take on the Grand Valley State Lakers on Friday, March 28.
The men have won the last four regular season matches against the Lakers, while the women are 2-2 in their previous four matchups against Grand Valley. However, the Lakers have bested Ferris in the playoffs, claiming three of the last four playoff meetings between the men’s teams, while the women are tied 1-1 in their two postseason matchups.
Head coach Mark Doren tries to treat this match just like any other match, despite the overlooking rivalry.
“We try to promote the rivalry as much as possible, but it’s just a little bit different for us,” Doren said. “We try to treat it as a normal match because if someone is too hype, they can lose focus. It’s not like basketball where the coach can just sub in for them and pull them out, I can’t do that, so I try to keep them mentally at the same level as most matches. We talk about the rivalry, but we don’t try to overdo it.”
Women
Despite starting their season with a 5-1 record, the women’s team (6-5, 1-0 in GLIAC) sports a 1-4 skid in its last five matches, including 0-3 in its spring break matches in Florida. Yet, the Bulldogs are coming off a 4-3 match at home against the Lake Superior State Lakers last weekend.
Grand Valley (8-3, 2-0 in GLIAC) has won three of their last four matches and are coming off a 5-2 victory at home against Purdue Northwest.
Both squads have ushered in plenty of young talent this past season. The Lakers have five underclassmen on their roster, while the Bulldogs have six.
One of Ferris’ underclassmen is freshman Ayva Johnstone, who’s ready to get into the rivalry.
“We’re pretty pumped,” Johnstone said. “We have two matches that same weekend, so it’ll definitely be a lot, but we’re playing really good tennis right now and we’re all pretty excited. We just got back from spring break and played a lot of solid teams so that helped a lot too. Grand Valley’s a pretty good team and they’ve always been a good team, but as long as we step up and play our best tennis, I’m pretty confident we can win.”
Men
The Bulldogs (7-5, 1-0 in GLIAC) are 3-3 in their last six matches, including two victories over spring break where they traveled down to Florida. The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-2 win at home against Lake Superior State.
Grand Valley (9-2, 2-0 in GLIAC) finished 1-2 in its three matches in Florida but has since gone 2-0 in its opening conference matches, capturing wins against Roosevelt and Purdue Northwest. Unlike the Bulldogs, who only have one senior on the team, the Lakers have four seniors on the team.
Senior Alessandro Santangelo loves the energy of the Anchor-Bone rivalry.
“I think for both teams it’s a match that we’re looking forward to all year,” Santangelo said. “And from the tennis players, we all feel it throughout the school year and the matches that go on with all the teams, whether it be basketball, football. All the players bring their best energy to this rivalry and it’s really a match that you don’t want to lose to such a close competitor.”
In their first three home matches this season, the men’s team is undefeated, claiming wins over Tiffin, Findlay and Lake Superior State.
Ferris State and Grand Valley will face off on Friday, March 28. The women will start their match at 10 a.m. and the men will follow at 2 p.m. at the Big Rapids Racquet and Fitness Center.