The DePauw Tigers men's tennis team, ranked thirtieth in the nation, clawed down the twenty-sixth ranked UW-Whitewater Warhawks 5-4 Thursday in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  Both teams are also ranked in the central region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association; UW-W seventh and DePauw eighth.

The eleventh ranked doubles team in the central region of Byron Balkin (Madison/Memorial) and Mitch Osborne (Crystal Lake, IL/Central) took down twelfth ranked Sam Miles and Ben Kopecky at one doubles 9-7.  DePauw won the other two doubles matches.

In singles Miles, ranked sixth in the central region, defeated Balkin, ranked eighteenth.  DePauw also won the singles matches at the three and five spots.  The Warhawks won singles flights two, four, and six, two of which went to three sets.

Singles
#1 - Sam Miles (DU) def. Byron Balkin (Madison/Memorial) (WW) 6-1, 6-3
#2 - Andrew Bayliss (Sheboygan/North) (WW) def. Ben Kopecky (DU) 6-0, 7-5
#3 - Michael Rardon (DU) def. Andy McGlashen (Southampton, England/) (WW) 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2
#4 - Mitch Osborne (Crystal Lake, IL/Central) (WW) def. Noah Swiler (DU) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4
#5 - Chris Bertolini (DU) def. Erik Scanlan (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) (WW) 7-6 (6), 6-0
#6 - Brady Porter (Madison/Memorial) (WW) def. Eric Hubbard (DU) 6-4, 2-6, 10-5

Doubles
#1 - Balkin/Osborne (WW) def. Miles/Kopecky (DU) 9-73
#2 - Hubbard/David Moss (DU) def. Bayliss/McGlashen (WW) 8-5
#3 - Rardon/Swiler (DU) def. Scanlan/Kevin Friend (Deerfield, IL/Deerfield) (WW) 8-3

Osborne picked up his team leading twelfth win at singles while Bayliss earned his tenth.   Osborne and Balkin improved to 11-5 at doubles.

The Warhawks are now 10-6 in dual matches while DePauw improves to 10-3.

UW-W will compete against Oberlin College later Thursday.

For additional information, Frank Barnes, UW-W head coach