After the men finished this past week’s four matches at 2-2 and the women finished 1-3, the Ferris State Bulldogs tennis teams look to gain momentum heading into the final month of the regular season.
The Bulldogs look ahead to men’s and women’s taking on the Davenport Panthers and the Grand Valley State Lakers, while the women’s team will also take on Saginaw Valley for their first divisional game of the season.
Head coach Mark Doren is feeling good about the teams this season and is looking forward to GLIAC play.
“I’m feeling very good about both teams,” Doren said. ” We are loaded with talent, and as the season progresses, we are gaining more and more confidence. The men’s team on paper is the most talented team I’ve had in my eight years here, but as we’ve gotten better, so has everyone else. On the women’s team, we are very aggressive as a team on the singles court. They can really push opponents around on the court.”
Women’s
Although the team started the season 1-3 and had two cancellations, the squad had a strong February. Having a 5-2 record, taking down opponents in Spring Arbor University, Walsh University, Calvin University, McKendree University and Hillsdale University.
The squad started March off to three losses, those coming against Florida Southern, Augustana and Embry Riddle before taking a 3-2 victory over Eckerd.
In that 3-2 victory, the Bulldogs took two of three doubles matches, with seniors Ana Hernandez and Maria Hernandez winning the first 6-2, while sophomore Ayva Johnstone and freshman Madeline Peisley took the second with a 6-3 victory.
While in singles competition, Peisley won her match 6-4 and 6-1, and sophomore Yara Madi taking the victory in her match by scores of 7-6 and 6-4.
Ana Hernandez believes the team can pick up momentum heading into division play.
“I think we must still believe in ourselves and the skills and preparation we have,” Hernandez said. “The team is so talented and qualified, so I believe we must start strong the conference and learn from the losses and wins because we are so capable of winning this year.”
The Bulldogs (7-5, 0-0 in GLIAC) will first take on the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (6-5, 0-1 in GLIAC). Last season Ferris only faced the Cardinals once, taking them down at home by a score of 4-3.
Then Ferris State heads south to take on the Davenport Panthers (12-4, 1-0 in GLIAC). Last season the Bulldogs faced Davenport twice, winning by scores of 5-2, and 4-3.
The following day, the Bulldogs take on the Grand Valley State Lakers (8-1, 0-0 in GLIAC). The Lakers were a thorn in the Bulldogs side last season, taking them down twice, once by 5-2, then the second time in the GLIAC tournament 4-0.
Men’s
Ferris State men’s tennis started the season off strong, starting the season off 8-2, while riding a seven game winning streak between Feb. 6 and Feb. 21.
2025 season. Photo courtesy of Ferris Athletics
In March, the Bulldogs have gone 2-2 so far, taking a 5-2 loss to Florida Southern and a 5-2 loss against Embry-Riddle. While taking a 7-0 victory over Augustana and a 3-1 win over Eckerd.
Junior Kevin Kovacs believes his team can keep the momentum as they move into the final month of the season.
“I feel really good about where our level is this season,” Kovacs said. “We have been playing really good tennis and starting 9–3 is a great position to be at. For the past week we have played several top 10 ranked teams in the country. These matches were a great test and showed us that we can compete and even beat the best teams in division 2 tennis.”
The Bulldogs (10-3, 0-0 in GLIAC) will first face off against the Panthers (7-9, 0-1 in GLIAC). The Panthers come into the matchup 2-3 in their last five matches, losing their most recent to Purdue Northwest by a score of 5-2.
Then Ferris State will then take on the Lakers the following day (6-4, 0-0 in GLIAC). The Lakers, just like the Panthers, come into the matchup 2-3 in their last five matches, also losing their most recent match 4-3.
Ferris State women’s tennis will take on Saginaw Valley State on March 19 at 3 p.m., while both teams will take on Davenport on March 27 and Grand Valley on March 28, with both times to be determined.