Mid-American Conference

MAC Men's Tennis Scoreboard

Thursday, Jan. 15
Western Michigan 4, Detroit Mercy 3

Friday, Jan. 16
Drake 7, Northern Illinois 0

Saturday, Jan. 17
Ball State 6, Detroit Mercy 1
Dartmouth 7, Buffalo 0

Sunday, Jan. 18
Buffalo 5, Bryant 2
Toledo 4, Detroit Mercy 3

Monday, Jan. 19
Western Michigan 6, Illinois-Chicago 1

Tuesday, Jan. 20
Michigan 6, Western Michigan 1


Ball State:

Men's Tennis Defeat Detroit 6-1 In 2015 Opener

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's tennis team (1-0) earned a 6-1 victory over Detroit Mercy (1-1) Saturday afternoon at the Muncie YMCA Tennis Center.  It was the second-straight season the Cardinals have defeated the Titans in their season opener.

"This was a good start," Ball State head men's tennis coach said.  "I have a lot of respect for Detroit. They are a greatly improved team that took western Michigan to the wire Thursday in a 4-3 loss. They forced us into some tough situations that we were able to work through. There were more positives than negatives."

Patrick Elliott and Lucas Andersen started the match with a 6-3 win over UDM's twosome Nathan Ponton and Patryk Kadyrov at the top position.  At No. 2 doubles, Ray Leonard and Andrew Stutz would clinch the point for the Cardinals after posting a 6-2 victory over Jay Joshi and Rafael Orantes.

The Cardinals won five of their six singles matches.  Newcomer Collin Rigney gave Ball State the 2-0 edge after taking down Chance Conley in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 6 singles position.  Patrick Downs and Andersen took down their competition in straight sets in their respective positions to clinch the match for Ball State.  Jan Jirus dropped his match to Ponton at the No. 4 slot in his Ball State debut.  Leonard and Elliott rounded out the last two points for the Cardinals.

The Ball State men's tennis team continues spring action when it plays two matches Friday, Jan. 23 in Champaign, Ill.  The Cardinals will take on Wisconsin-Green Bay at 10:00 a.m. and will close the day with a match against Big Ten foe Illinois at 7 p.m.


Buffalo:

Bulls Defeat Bryant Men’s Tennis Team, 5-2

HANOVER, N.H. – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York men's tennis team picked up a 5-2 victory Sunday against Bryant at Dartmouth's Boss Tennis Center.

"This weekend was exactly what we needed," said head coach Lee Nickell. "We got to test ourselves against a top 35 level team and play an NCAA-qualifying team from last year. Although I feel we didn't execute like we are capable, we competed very hard. We have a long way to go, but the tools are there for us to reach our goals."

The Bulls picked up the doubles point, winning two of three matches. Sophomore Jonathan Hannestad and junior Sergio Arevalillo took first doubles in convincing fashion, 6-1, and senior Damien David and junior Pablo Alvarez outlasted the Bulldogs at the number two spot, 7-2.

Five of the Bulls' six singles matches went to three sets. Alvarez claimed second singles, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 against Zachary Morris. Hannestad defeated Max Vogt, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in fourth singles. At the number five spot, junior Akhil Mehta blanked Jorge Ortiz-Garcia, 6-4, 6-1, while freshman Noah Hajdu-Andersson was victorious at sixth singles, defeating Ernesto Arguello in come-from-behind fashion, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

UB will next travel to Yale for weekend play against the Bulldogs, Colgate and Monmouth on Jan. 24-25.

DOUBLES:
No. 1: Hannestad/Arevalillo (UB) def. Arguello/Lament (BU), 6-1
No. 2: David/Alvarez (UB) def. Morris/Kliger (BU), 7-5
No. 3: Kuhar/Sipala (BU) def. Tony Miller/Mehta (UB), 6-2

SINGLES:
No. 1: Matt Kuhar (BU) def. Damien David (UB), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 2: Pablo Alvarez (UB) def. Zachary Morris (BU), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6
No. 3: Oliver Welsh (BU) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4: Jonathan Hannestad (UB) def. Max Vogt (BU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
No. 5: Akhil Mehta (UB) def. Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (BU), 6-4, 6-1
No. 6: Noah Hajdu-Andersson (UB) def. Ernesto Arguello (BU), 6-7, 6-4, 6-3


UB Men’s Tennis Bows Out at Nationally-Ranked Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York men's tennis team suffered a 7-0 setback at 47th-ranked Dartmouth Saturday at the Boss Tennis Center.

Despite forcing an extra game in the first set, senior Damien David dropped his first singles match to 65th-ranked Dovydas Sakinis, 7-5, 6-3. He teamed with junior Pablo Alvarez in second doubles, falling to the Big Green, 6-1. Alvarez won a set against Dartmouth's Diego Pedraza at third singles, but suffered a 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 setback.

Sophomore Jonathan Hannestad and junior Sergio Arevalillo were blanked by Dartmouth's 22nd-ranked first doubles squad of Chris Kipouras and Sakinis. Arevalillo went three with the Big Greens' Brendan Tannenbaum, but was outlasted, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at fourth singles. Hannestad dropped a 6-2, 7-5 decision at fifth singles to Ciro Riccardi.

Senior Sebastian Ionescu was edged by Christopher Kipuras, 7-6, 7-5, in second singles. Ionescu and junior Akhil Mehta fell in their third doubles match, 6-2. Mehta was defeated by Max Fliegner, 7-6, 6-4, in sixth singles.

UB returns to action Sunday facing Bryant at Dartmouth.

SINGLES:
No. 1: Dovydas Sakinis (DC) def. Damien David (UB), 7-5, 6-3
No. 2: Christopher Kipouras (DC) def. Sebastian Ionescu (UB), 7-6, 7-5
No. 3: Diego Pedraza (DC) def. Pablo Alvarez (UB), 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
No. 4: Brendan Tannenbaum (DC) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5: Ciro Riccardi (DC) def. Jonathan Hannestad (UB), 6-2, 7-5
No. 6: Max Fliegner (DC) def. Akhil Mehta (UB), 7-6, 6-4

DOUBLES:
No. 1: Kipouras/Sakinis (DC) def. Hannestad/Arevalillo (UB), 6-0
No. 2: Agarwal/Tannenbaum (DC) def. David/Alvarez (UB), 6-1
No. 3: Pedraza/Riccardi (DC) def. Mehta/Ionescu (UB), 6-2


Northern Illinois:

Huskies Drop First Dual At Drake

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Northern Illinois University men’s tennis team opened the dual meet portion of its schedule with a 7-0 setback at 46th-ranked Drake on Friday afternoon at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

“With four days of practice and so many new guys I did not know what to expect from our guys today,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “It was quite a humbling experience for us and we have a big mountain to climb if we want to play at the level we aspire to. Give credit to Drake they are top-25 material, that being said, we need to improve in a lot of areas.”

The Bulldogs took the double point, sweeping all three matches. At third doubles, freshman Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) made his NIU debut, pairing with freshman Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada); the duo was edged, 7-6, by Ben Stride and Bayo Philips. Drake (1-0) also earned a tight victory at number one singles, 6-4, as Alen Salibasic and Ben Lott defeated freshman Kevin Daun (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) and sophomore Matt Lynch (Cedarburg, Wis./Marquette High School).

In singles play, senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit) and junior Simon Formont (Orléans, France/Lycée Camille Claudel) faced a pair of nationally-ranked opponents at first and second singles. Cadieux met 46th-ranked Salibasic at number one, falling 6-2, 6-1. At second singles, Formont matched up with 30th-ranked Lott, falling 6-3, 6-2.

Lynch played a tight first set with Matt Frost at number three, but fell in straight-sets, 7-6, 6-1. Drake also picked up the points at four, five and six singles.

The Huskies will open the home portion of their 2015 slate next Friday, Jan. 23, when they host Wisconsin-Whitewater at 10 a.m., and UIC at 2 p.m., in Rockford.

Singles
1. #46 Alen Salibasic (DU) def. Frederic Cadieux (NIU) 6-2, 6-1
2. #30 Ben Lott (DU) def. Simon Formont (NIU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Matt Frost (DU) def. Matt Lynch (NIU) 7-6, 6-1
4. Ravi Patel (DU) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Ben Stride (DU) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Bayo Philips (DU) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
1. Alen Salibasic/Ben Lott (DU) def. Kevin Daun/Matt Lynch (NIU) 6-4
2. Matt Frost/Ravi Patel (DU) def. Simon Formont/Frederic Cadieux (NIU) 6-1
3. Ben Stride/Bayo Philips (DU) def. Georg Lundkvist/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) 7-6


Toledo:

Rockets Edge Detroit 4-3 in opener

DETROIT, MI - The Toledo men's tennis team opened its winter schedule on a strong note, edging out Detroit on Sunday 4-3 at the Franklin Athletic Club.

"We showed a lot of toughness and resilience in this match," head coach Al Wermer said. "It wasn't too pretty, but the guys persevered."

The Rockets earned the doubles point, winning two of three doubles matches.

Sophomore Stjepan Sisko and junior Garrett Cona teamed up to win No. 1 doubles 7-5, while the senior duo of Nicky Wong and Roberto Meza earned a win by the same score to take the first point of the match.

The Rockets took home points in each of the top three singles matches as Sisko continued his success into singles play, earning a 6-2, 6-4 victory in the top singles spot.

Senior Mark Singnil and Wong each earned singles points as well for the Midnight Blue & Gold, by the scores of 6-3, 7-5 and 7-5, 6-3, respectively.

Toledo fell in singles Nos. 4-6, but were able to hang on for the win to begin the season 1-0.

The Rockets are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 24 with their home opener at Shadow Valley Tennis Club when they host Valparaiso. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.

The following day, Toledo will travel to Mansfield, OH to compete in the Lakewood Scramble.


Western Michigan:

Broncos Fall 6-1 to #43 Wolverines

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team faced a difficult road test on Tuesday, falling 6-1 to the 43rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 2-1 on the season.
Maik Steiner provided the best chance of the day for the Broncos, beating Michael Zhu in the first set of the No. 2 singles match and overall keeping it close against the nationally-ranked Wolverines. Steiner took a first set tiebreaker against Zhu, winning 7-6 to open the match. Zhu claimed a tight second set 6-4, but the two players battled back and forth in the third set super tiebreaker. Steiner fought valiantly, but ultimately fell 10-8 to drop the final match on the court.

The Wolverines claimed the doubles session by winning the Nos. 1 and 2 matches, and immediately took a 2-0 lead thanks to a straight-sets win by Carter Lin in the No. 6 singles match. Runhao Hua defeated Ruben Greiner 6-1, 6-4 in the No. 4 singles match to make it 3-0, and Alex Knight clinched the match win with a second set tiebreaker against Andrew Cahn in the No. 3 singles match.

Michigan (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Western Michigan (2-1, 0-0 MAC)

Singles
No. 1 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) def. Jefta Kecic (WMU), 7-6 (7), 6-3
No. 2 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) def. Maik Steiner (WMU), 6-7, 6-4, 10-8
No. 3 -- Alex Knight (U-M) def. Andrew Cahn (WMU), 6-4, 7-6 (3)
No. 4 -- Runhao Hua (U-M) def. Ruben Greiner (WMU), 6-1, 6-4
No. 5 -- Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Kevin Wong (U-M), 6-4, 7-5
No. 6 -- Carter Lin (U-M) def. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU), 6-4, 6-2

Doubles
No. 1 -- Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (U-M) def. Ruben Greiner/Maik Steiner (WMU), 6-3
No. 2 -- Kevin Wong/Tyler Gardiner (U-M) def. Stephen Payne/Matt Hamilton (WMU), 6-2
No. 3 -- Carter Lin/Runhao Hua (U-M) vs. Jimmy Beckwith/Jefta Kecic (WMU), 5-5 DNF

Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1 ; Singles 6-4-3-5-1-2


Men's Tennis Wins Big Over UIC

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team cruised to a victory in their second home match of the season, defeating the UIC Flames 6-1 at West Hills Athletic Club on Monday. With the win, the Broncos improve to 2-0 on the season.

The Broncos opened with a strong effort in doubles play, quickly claiming victories in the Nos. 2 and 3 doubles matches to take the point against the Flames. Andrew Cahn and Marc Shideler struck the first blow by making quick work of the No. 3 doubles pairing of Eric Pontow and Mitch Granger, downing them 6-2 to put the Broncos ahead in the doubles session. Stephen Payne and Matt Hamilton followed shortly thereafter, beating Maurizio Feoli and Carl Hedstrom 6-3 in the No. 2 doubles match to give WMU the doubles point.

Ruben Greiner led the singles session off with a win, picking up his first singles win of the spring after missing much of the fall season with an injury. Greiner blew past Feoli in the No. 4 singles match in straight sets, winning 6-2, 6-3 to put the Broncos ahead 2-0 in the overall match. Matt Hamilton won his second straight singles match with a straight sets win over Hedstrom, winning 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 match. Maik Steiner clinched the match victory with a win at the No. 2 singles spot, holding off Louis Theodor in the second set to win 6-3, 6-4. Andrew Cahn won a similarly tight match in the No. 3 singles spot, winning a marathon tiebreaker in the first set and taking the second 6-4 against Christopher Cole, and Jefta Kecic came back from a one-set deficit to beat Isaac Lloveras 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 1 singles match.

Western Michigan 6, Illinois-Chicago 1

Singles competition
1. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Isaac Lloveras (UIC) 6-7, 6-1, 6-2
2. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Louis Theodor (UIC) 6-3, 6-4
3. Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Christopher Cole (UIC) 7-6 (12-10), 6-4
4. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Maurizio Feoli (UIC) 6-2, 6-3
5. Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Carl Hedstrom (UIC) 6-4, 6-2
6. Mitch Granger (UIC) def. Pablo Mora (WMU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Isaac Lloveras/Louis Theodor (UIC) def. Ruben Greiner/Maik Steiner (WMU) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Stephen Payne/Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Maurizio Feoli/Carl Hedstrom (UIC) 6-3
3. Andrew Cahn/Marc Shideler (WMU) def. Eric Pontow/Mitch Granger (UIC) 6-2

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,5,2,6,3,1)


Broncos Take Wild 4-3 Decision vs. Detroit

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team outlasted their opponent in their 2015 dual match season opener, defeating the Detroit Titans 4-3 thanks to a win in the final singles match on the court. With the win, the Broncos open the year with a 1-0 record.

The match came down to the final two players on the court, as Bronco freshman Jefta Kecic and the Titans’ Rafael Orantes split the first two sets of the No. 2 singles match. Kecic took the opening set against Orantes by ekeing out a win in a first set tiebreaker, but Orantes responded with a 6-3 win of his own in the second set. Kecic jumped out to a lead in the full third set by picking up a break on Orantes, but Orantes broke back to keep things interesting. The Bronco found his footing at the end of the match, however, rattling off another break and ultimately taking the 6-3 decision in the third set to win the match for his team.

The Broncos gave themselves a 1-0 advantage to start the match by cruising through doubles play, with the duo of Jimmy Beckwith and Stephen Payne striking first in No. 2 doubles. Beckwith and Payne made quick work of Orantes and Jay Joshi, winning 6-1 to take control of the session. Andrew Cahn and Matt Hamilton followed soon after with a 6-3 win in the No. 3 doubles match, and the pair of Kecic and Maik Steiner swept the doubles session with a 6-3 win over Nathan Ponton and Patryk Koscielski.

Detroit tied the match at 1 with a win in the No. 4 singles match, but Pablo Mora put the Broncos back on the board with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Chance Conley in the No. 6 singles match. Hamilton gave the Broncos a 3-2 edge with his 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 win over Jay Joshi at the No. 5 position, and Kecic put the match away with his dramatic finish at No. 2.

Western Michigan 4, Detroit Titans Men's Tennis 3

Singles competition
1. Patryk Koscielski (DETROIT) def. Maik Steiner (WMU-M) 7-6, 2-6, 6-2
2. Jefta Kecic (WMU-M) def. Rafael Orantes (DETROIT) 7-6, 3-6, 6-3
3. Kacper Stelmaszak (DETROIT) def. Andrew Cahn (WMU-M) 6-3, 7-5
4. Nathan Ponton (DETROIT) def. Ruben Greiner (WMU-M) 6-2, 6-3
5. Matt Hamilton (WMU-M) def. Jay Joshi (DETROIT) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
6. Pablo Mora (WMU-M) def. Chance Conley (DETROIT) 6-2, 7-5

Doubles competition
1. Jefta Kecic/Maik Steiner (WMU-M) def. Nathan Ponton/Patryk Koscielski (DETROIT) 6-3
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Stephen Payne (WMU-M) def. Rafael Orantes/Jay Joshi (DETROIT) 6-1
3. Andrew Cahn/Matt Hamilton (WMU-M) def. Kacper Stelmaszak/Ismail Kadyrov (DETROIT) 6-3

Match Notes:  Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,6,3,5,1,2)