“We came to play today, it was a do or die situation,” first-year player Billy Dennis said. On April 18, under a baking sun, the Guilford men’s tennis team overcame the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in a match that decided the eighth seat for the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament. If the men had lost, their season would have ended with a 2-10 record. Instead, the men simulated last season’s win over Wesleyan with a 9-0 victory.

Going into the match, the team and fans anxiously hoped for a Guilford victory. Last season, the team beat the Marlins 6-1.

“I think we’re favored, but it depends on who wants (to win more) I guess,” head coach Eddie Luck said before he presented the opening lineup.

The men came out with a strong showing, dominating doubles and then clinching the win with two singles match victories.

Junior Alec Chase and junior doubles partner Will Mason-Deese played a close match against Wesleyan in first doubles, winning 8-5, and both went on to win their first and second singles matches with identical scores of 6-3, 6-1.

Second doubles partners Patrick Childs, junior, and first-year Ben Lewis earned an 8-4 win in doubles. During their match, Lewis scored one point by accidentally hitting one of their opponents in the face with the ball from a volley. Both Lewis and Childs went on to win their singles matches 8-3.

First-year Brandon Johnson and Dennis convincingly defeated Wesleyan in third doubles (8-0).

“They swept the doubles and I do think they are going to win today,” said Vice President for Enrollment Services Randy Doss as he cheered the team on.

Johnson and Dennis secured the shutout with singles wins. Johnson won in a third-set tiebreaker 6-1, 2-6 and 10-8, and Dennis won in an eight-game pro-set 8-4.

The Quakers swiftly took their spot in the ODAC tournament scheduled to begin April 25. The men play Washington and Lee in their first-round match-up.

“Hopefully we can use the momentum from today in the ODAC,” Dennis said.