Ferris State tennis will host Wayne State on Saturday, April 18, as the Bulldogs welcome the Warriors to Big Rapids for the final matches of the regular season.
With the postseason right around the corner, the men’s and women’s teams look to focus on the match ahead and not worry about the playoffs just yet.
Head coach Mark Doren is looking ahead to the match against the Warriors.
“We are actually very excited for this weekend and not just because we can’t look past this weekend and think about Wayne, but we are most likely playing outside, which will prepare us for the Wayne match, “Doren said. “Our match on Saturday is senior day for our six total seniors, so we need to stay very focused on such an important day for the team. Senior day can be emotional.”
Women
Ferris State (10-6, 4-1 in GLIAC) enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 2-0 record in April, beating Michigan Tech 5-2 and Roosevelt 6-1. The Bulldogs’ only conference loss was against Grand Valley State, where they fell 7-0.
In the last five years, Ferris State has been 2-3 in the final regular-season match before the playoffs, beating Michigan Tech in 2021 and Lake Superior State in 2023.
Junior Katherine Earnest loves the team chemistry the women have coming into the match.
“It is really exciting,” Earnest said. “Everyone has been playing very well and the energy is unmatched. The team chemistry is also amazing which helps a lot on the court. We are all super excited for this week and especially Saturday to celebrate our seniors.”
The women have two seniors who will be celebrated on the team. Ana Sofia Hernandez Ferrer and her sister Maria Fernanda Hernandez Ferrer.
Wayne State (6-6, 3-1 in GLIAC) enters with a three-match win streak, including conference wins against Michigan Tech and Purdue Northwest. The Warriors beat the Huskies 7-0 and the Pride 6-1. Before they play the Bulldogs, Wayne State heads to Allendale to face off with Grand Valley State.
Men
The Bulldogs (13-3, 4-0 in GLIAC) are on a four-match win streak, all against conference opponents. Ferris State beat Davenport and Roosevelt by a score of 7-0, Michigan Tech 6-1 and Grand Valley 5-2. Ferris is 2-0 in April after beating Michigan Tech and Roosevelt.
Dating back to the last five years, Ferris State is 3-2 in the last match before the playoffs begin, both times losing to Wayne State in 2022 and 2025.
Sophomore Adrian Catahan believes the team is on a roll heading into the final weekend, especially after some big wins.
“I feel very confident in our guys,” Catahan said. “Our team is very deep, and after beating GVSU and Davenport over the weekend makes us believe that we are a very strong team. We are really looking forward to our last month because I know, especially our seniors, are playing their last dual matches, so they are going to give it everything they’ve got, and so will the other players. The road to nationals and the GLIAC tournament starts here and everyone is ready to compete.”
The men’s team has three seniors this year in Felipe Iser, Erik Kovacs and Kacper Pasielak.
The Warriors (11-7, 3-0 in GLIAC) come into the weekend on a two-match win streak and are 2-1 in the month of April, falling 4-2 against the University of Indianapolis before beating Michigan Tech 7-0 and Purdue Northwest 6-1. Same as the women, Wayne State will head to Allendale to play Grand Valley the day before they play Ferris on Friday, April 17.
Ferris State will host Wayne State on Saturday, April 18, at the Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids. The women will play at 10 a.m. and the men will follow at 2 p.m. This is the last match of the regular season before the GLIAC Tournament starts on Thursday, April 23, in Midland.