APPLETON, Wis. -- Lawrence University men's tennis standout Dan Hertel was named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week after a perfect week and a comeback win over the Vikings' biggest rival.
Hertel, a junior from Sheboygan, Wis., went 3-0 in singles and doubles and provided the winning point in Lawrence's 5-4 victory over rival Ripon College this past Friday.
The former standout at Sheboygan North High School lost the first set 6-1 to Ripon's Ben Sweeney at No. 3 singles but won the second set 6-2. Hertel then trailed 5-1 in the third set but rallied to tie the match at 6-6. He then won the tiebreaker 7-5 to give Lawrence the victory. He teamed with sophomore Ryan Dunn to beat Sweeney and Dave Czarnecki 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.
In an 8-1 win over Beloit on April 19, Hertel beat Matt Aslesen 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 singles and won 8-4 at No. 1 doubles. In a 7-2 win over Carroll, Hertel beat John Krewer 6-0, 6-3 in singles and posted an 8-4 win in doubles.
Hertel improved to 9-7 in singles and 11-3 in doubles.
The three North Division victories this past weekend gave Lawrence a berth in the four-team MWC Team Championship for the first time since 2003. Lawrence will play South Division champ Grinnell College in the semifinals at 8:00 a.m. Friday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.