The Wayland High School boys’ tennis team dropped a 7-1 decision Monday to cross-

town rivals MiddlevilleThornapple Kellogg, dropping the squad’s overall season record to 1-6-1.

At first singles, Christian Sieffert started strong, taking the first set 6-4 using powerful serves and a good mix of ground strokes, but his opponent proved equal to the task, taking the second set decisively 6-0, forcing a third. Christian played tough, but TK proved better, taking the third set 6-1.

“It was a great match between two players with good skills on both sides of the net,” coach Ben Adams said. “The rest of the singles flights were not as close however.”

Jackson Chesley fell 1-6, 0-6; Andrew Murphy lost 1-6, 1-6; and Nolan Ritz fell 1-6, 1-6 also.

In the doubles matches, the first singles team of Elijah Dollarhide and Brett Bultsma took their game right at TK right from the start. They took the first set 6-1, took a break in the second set, dropping it 3-6, but then took command in the third set, winning 6-2 in convincing fashion, bringing home the only win of the night for the Wildcats.

The rest of the doubles flights went as their singles counterparts, with Brady Atwell and Elijah Kincaid falling 2-6, 3-6, Mark Musgrave and Austin Graham falling 0-6, 4-6, and Hunter Haase and Garrett Spoor also falling 1-6, 3-6.

“The Wildcats learned that consistency pays off in tennis,” Adams said, “as in the end, as long as you hit the ball  back more often than your opponent, you’ll be successful.”