Like their counterparts on the women's side, the Shawnee State men's tennis program didn't allow the (RV) Indiana Wesleyan men's tennis program to claim victory without a fight, getting strong efforts from Zayden Rinehart and Ivan Wularu at No. 2 doubles as Abubakar Yakabu Lea at No. 1 singles in a setback to the Wildcats to open its spring schedule.

The Bears also ended the match with two victories in unranked singles tennis matches, as Keenan Lambert and Adam Stanley ended the match on a high note with triumphs in their friendlies against their Indiana Wesleyan counterparts.

Highlights

In doubles competition, the pair of Rinehart and Wularu played inspired tennis at the No. 2 doubles position, taking Indiana Wesleyan's Timo Fischer and Valentino Trento to 10 games before falling by a 6-4 margin to highlight what was the most energized and competitive match in doubles competition.

Lea put together a strong match against Issac Steiner at the No. 1 singles spot, taking the two-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American and 2022-23 ITA Midwest Regional Doubles Champion to the brink in a competitive 6-4, 6-3 loss at the top line in his first ever collegiate match, while Rinehart, long known for his competitive spirit as the veteran of the squad, took Ethan Gray to scores of 7-5 and 6-3 at No. 4 singles before falling in that slot. Wularu added in his own competitive performance at No. 3 singles as Wularu -- a native of Ghana like Lea -- took Timo Fischer to competitive 6-4, 6-3 contests at the No. 3 singles position.

The friendly matchups, which pitted Lambert and Stanley against Indiana Wesleyan's Riley Fuqua and Carter Poquette, respectively, saw both Shawnee State hands emerge victorious in matchups that had the competitiveness of slotted singles play, as Lambert defeated Fuqua 8-6 while Stanley bested Poquette 8-7 to end the match.

Additional

The men's tennis program will be back in action Feb. 17 when the Bears face Cedarville (Ohio) and Thomas More (Ky.) in away bouts, which will start at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

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