Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK

MAC Men’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Luka Vitosevic, Toledo – Senior, Belgrade, Serbia (Sportska Gimnazija)
Toledo senior Luka Vitosevic at No. 1 singles clinched the Rockets’ 4-3 victory over Ball State on Friday after defeating Marko Guzina in a three-set thriller. Vitosevic’s match was the last match on with the team scores tied, 3-3.  After dropping the first set 6-7(8), Vitosevic forced a third set by winning the second 6-2. Fighting for the individual and team victory, Vitosevic won the third set 6-2 over Guzina. He is a computer science and engineering major.
 
Additional Men’s Singles Nominees:
Vilhelm Fridell, Buffalo – Junior, Gothenburg, Sweden (ProCivitas Privata Gymnasium)
Buffalo junior Vilhelm Fridell at No. 2 singles won his match in straight sets on Friday against Matej Svjetlicic of Western Michigan, 6-4, 7-6 (3).  It was one of three victories in singles for the Bulls as they had a narrow 4-3 loss to Western Michigan. Fridell improved to 6-1 at second singles for Buffalo and overall, he is 16-9 on the year.
 
Eric Marbach, Northern Illinois – Senior, Naperville, Ill. (Vaubonsie Valley High School)
Northern Illinois senior Eric Marbach at No. 1 singles topped Binghamton’s Ludovico Cestarollo, 6-2, 6-3, in the lone match of the week for the Huskies as they bettered the Bearcats, 6-1. The win improved Marbach to 15-10 on the season, including 9-7 in dual matches with a 7-5 record playing at number one.  
 
Peter Kuszynski, Western Michigan–Freshman, Markham, Ontario (St. Brother Andre)
Western Michigan freshman Peter Kuszynski at No. 4 singles secured his team-leading 10th and 11th single wins over the weekend, helping guide the Broncos to a 4-0 start to MAC play with wins over Buffalo and Binghamton over the weekend. Kuszynski earned the Broncos' match-clinching point during the 4-3 victory over Buffalo on Friday, defeating Nickolas Frisk in the third set after dropping the first 6-1. He followed that up with another comeback win on Saturday, defeating the Bearcats' Alejandro Pena 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 while the Broncos downed Binghamton 7-0. 
 
 
MAC Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Peter Kuszynski, Western Michigan–Freshman, Markham, Ontario (St. Brother Andre)
Jack Randall, Western Michigan – Freshman, Lockport, Ill. (Lockport Township High School)
 
Western Michigan freshman Peter Kuszynski and freshman Jack Randall at No. 1 doubles helped guide the Broncos to a pair of wins at home over the weekend versus Buffalo and Binghamton as Western Michigan improved to 4-0 in the MAC. The freshman duo defeated reigning MAC Doubles Team of the Week Ethan Nitttolo & Hao Sheng Koay from Buffalo 6-4 to clinch the doubles point during the 4-3 win over Buffalo and were leading 5-3 over Binghamton's Alejandro Pena/Ludovico Cestarollo while WMU sealed the doubles point on court two and three in the 7-0 victory. 
 
Additional Men’s Doubles Team Nominees:
Matthew Johnson, Buffalo – Sophomore, Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa (Rondebosch Boys High School)
Valdemar Holm, Buffalo – Sophomore, Malmo, Sweden (Malmo Idrottsgymnasium)
 
Buffalo sophomore Matthew Johnson and sophomore Valdemar Holm at No. 3 doubles picked up a 6-4 win against Western Michigan on Friday as the Bulls suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat.
 
Mikko Malinen, Northern Illinois – Freshman, Malmo, Sweden
Victor Spolidorio, Northern Illinois – Sophomore, Peoria, Ill. (Dunlap High School)
 
Northern Illinois freshman Mikko Malinen and sophomore Victor Spolidorio at No. 1 doubles scored a 6-1 win over Binghamton’s Kushaan Nath and Tiago Lourenco, helping the Huskies take the double points and ultimately a 6-1 match victory over the Bearcats. With their win in NIU’s lone match of the week, Malinen and Spolidorio improved to 8-6 as a tandem, including a 3-3 mark playing at number one.
 
Luka Vitosevic, Toledo – Senior, Belgrade, Serbia (Sportska Gimnazija)
Omar Espinosa, Toledo – Senior, Queretaro, Mexico (Cobaq)
 
Toledo senior Luka Vitosevic and senior Omar Espinosa at No. 1 doubles clinched the doubles point in the Rockets’ thrilling 4-3 victory over Ball State on Friday. As the last court on for doubles, Vitosevic/Espinosa locked in for a tense back-and-fourth battle with twins Nemanja and Marko Guzina. Vitosevic/Espinosa came out on top with the 6-4 win, sealing the doubles point to put Toledo on the board, 1-0, going into singles play. Vitosevic is a computer science and engineering major, while Espinosa is a civil engineering major.