ANGOLA, Ind. - The Trine University men's tennis team was nearly able to knock off conference leading Calvin College but fell 6-3. The loss drops the Thunder to 5-9 on the season and 1-3 in the conference.

It was a tough start for the Thunder as they dropped all three doubles matches. In the No. 1 match, the duo of senior Dan Desper (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) and freshman Caleb Knust (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) fell 8-5. In the second match, junior Joe Dunbar (Carmel, Ind./Blessed Theodore Guerin) and sophomore Zach Richardson (Muncie, Ind./Delta) dropped their match 8-2. In the final doubles match the team of junior Nick Ihrie (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) and senior David Murray (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) fell 8-3.

Trine picked up all three of their wins in singles action, winning at No. 1, 3 and 6 positions. In the top spot, Knust took down the reigning MIAA Player of the Week Brian DeMaagd 6-1, 6-3. In the third match, it would take Desper three sets to pull out the victory over Philip Reinken 5-6, 6-1, 6-4. Ihrie would win in straight sets in the sixth position 6-2, 6-4. In the No. 2 match Dunbar fell 6-0, 6-3 while Murray dropped his fourth match 6-0, 6-2. In the fifth position sophomore Joey Clark (Sturgis, Mich./Sturgis) fell 6-2, 7-6.

The team will host the two-day Trine Men's Invitational beginning on April 9 at 4:00 p.m. at Angola High School. The four-team tournament will also include Defiance, Grace and Capital and will continue at 9:00 a.m. on April 10.