Mid-American Conference

MAC Men's Tennis Scoreboard

Wednesday, March 18
Western Michigan 7, Ferris State 0
Western Michigan 7, Western Illinois 0

Friday, March 20
St. John's 6, Binghamton 1
Findlay 3, Toledo 2
Toledo 5, Fort Wayne 2

Saturday, March 21
Ball State 4, Illinois State 3
DePaul 5, Toledo 2
Southern Illinois 4, Northern Illinois 3

Sunday, March 22
Cornell 7, Buffalo 0
Northern Illinois 4, Illinois State 3
Western Michigan 4, Valparaiso 3


Ball State:

Men's Tennis Earns 4-3 Win At Illinois State

NORMAL, Ill. - The Ball State men's tennis team, earned a 4-3 victory at Illinois State, Saturday afternoon at the Gregory Street Courts.  With the win, the Cardinals even their overall record to 7-7 while the Redbirds fall to 6-8 on the year.

Ball State struck first by capturing the doubles point over Illinois State.  The Cardinals took the first match with Lucas Andersen and Patrick Elliott's 6-4 win over Jakub Eisner and Rolando Torrellas on court one.  Ball State then earned the point off of a 7-5 victory from Ray Leonard and Collin Rigney versus Muddappa Appanervand and Urh Krajnc Domiter at No. 2 doubles.

In singles, the Cardinals earned wins on the top three courts.  Leonard defeated Eisner 6-0, 7-6 at the No. 1 position while Andersen took down Domiter, 6-2, 7-6 at the No. 2 spot.  Elliott rounded out the singles victories for the Cardinals after earning a three set stunner over Jacob Wilson on court three, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

The Ball State men's tennis team opens Mid-American Conference action against Toledo Friday at 1 p.m.  After that, the Cardinals return to non-conference action at Butler Wednesday, April 1 at 2 p.m. before returning home versus Northern Illinois Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m.


Binghamton:

Men's Tennis Falls at St. John's

QUEENS, N.Y. - Host St. John's captured the doubles point and won five of the six singles matches to pin a 6-1 loss on Binghamton men's tennis Friday afternoon from the U.S. National Tennis Center.

The Bearcats got a win from senior Ismael Dinia at No. 4 singles. Dinia posted a 6-4, 6-1 victory. In doubles, the tandem of sophomores Frenk Kote and Doug Notaris was victorius, 6-1.

Two other singles matches went to three sets, but junior No. 1 Sid Hazarika and No. 6 Notaris came up short and the other three matches were straight-set wins for the Red Storm.

"We've got to do a better job managing the momentum in our matches," head coach Nick Zieziula said. "That hurt us today especially in doubles. We traded breaks early but weren't able to settle down and get the holds that we needed. Overall we were working to implement the plays and patterns we worked on in practice this week, we need to keep with the process to keep improving."

Binghamton next competes in the Middle Tennessee State Invitational next weekend.

St. John's 6, Binghamton 1
DOUBLES
1. Hejhal/Munshaw (SJ) def. Hazarika/Dinia (BU), 6-3
2. R. Livi/Every (SJ) def. Lesage/Hureau (BU), 6-3
3. Kote/Notaris (BU) def. Ruiz/Caripi (SJ), 6-1

Order of Finish: 3,1,2

SINGLES
1. Lucas Hejhal (SJ) def. Sid Hazarika (BU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Robert Levi (SJ) def. Robin Lesage (BU), 6-2, 7-6 (8)
3. Vaidik Munshaw (SJ) def. Eliott Hureau (BU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Ismael Dinia (BU) def. Elio Livi (SJ), 6-4, 6-1
5. Freddy Ruiz (SJ) def. Frenk Kote (BU), 6-2, 6-3
6. Vasili Caripi (SJ) def. Doug Notaris (BU), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 10-8

Order of Finish: 3,2,5,4,1,6


Buffalo:

Men's Tennis Falls at Cornell, 7-0

ITHACA, NY – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York men's tennis team fell to 52nd-ranked Cornell, 7-0, Sunday at Reis Tennis Center.  The Big Red (8-5) picked up their fourth straight victory, while the Bulls (8-6) dropped their third consecutive to Ivy League opponents.

UB suffered back-to-back losses at second and third doubles, before junior Sergio Arevalillo and sophomore Jonathan Hannestad's top doubles match was suspended at 4-4.

At sixth singles, Arevalillo won his first set against Dyland Brown, 6-1, but Brown bounced back to knot action with a 6-2 showing in the second set. Arevalillo fell in the super tiebreaker, 10-4. Junior Amar Hromic looked to force three, but suffered a 6-1, 7-6 setback at fourth singles to Colin Sinclair.

The Bulls return to action on Saturday at 22nd-ranked Harvard at 10 am.

DOUBLES
No. 1: Casares Rosa/Vrabel (CU) vs. Arevalillo/Hannestad, DNF 4-4
No. 2: Fleck/Sinclair (CU) def. David/Ionescu, 6-1
No. 3: Quoc-Daniel Nguyen/Vinti (CU) def. Noah Hajdu-Andersson/Akhil Mehta, 6-2

SINGLES
No. 1: Sam Fleck (CU) def. Pablo Alvarez (UB), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2: Stefan Vinti (CU) def. Damien David (UB), 6-3, 6-2
No. 3: Bernardo Casares Rosa (CU) def. Sebastian Ionescu (UB), 6-1, 6-2
No. 4: Colin Sinclair (CU) def. Amar Hromic (UB), 6-1, 7-6
No. 5: Chris Vrabel (CU) def. Jonathan Hannestad (UB), 6-4, 6-2
No. 6: Dylan Brown (CU) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 1-6, 6-2, (10-4)


Northern Illinois:

NIU Claims 4-3 Road Win At Illinois State

NORMAL, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team improved to 13-4 this spring with a 4-3 victory over Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies earned the doubles point and then won three singles matches, including two three-set matches, to earn a weekend split.

"We did not play our best this weekend and we found ourselves lucky to come away with this win today against Illinois State," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We are going to have to play at a much higher level than we did this weekend or we could be on the outside looking in come the end of the year. That being said, we did find a way to win while not playing to our potential."

In doubles play, the Huskies outlasted the Redbirds, winning a pair of tight matches to take the point. At number one, freshmen Kevin Daun (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) and Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) edged Jakub Eisner and Rolando Torrellas, 7-6. Junior Simon Formont (Orléans, France/Lycée Camille Claudel) and freshman Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) defeated Dylan Steffens and Christoffer Greve, 7-5, at number three for their 11th win of the season.

Formont was also a winner in singles action, taking a 6-0, 6-4 decision over Urh Krajnc Domiter at number two. The Huskies then needed a pair of three-set wins to get their third and fourth points to clinch the victory.

Senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit) rallied to beat Jakub Eisner at number one, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 while Lundkvist claimed a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win over Dylan Steffens to win his 11th match of the season and fifth consecutive singles victory.

NIU will return to action on Friday, March 27, as the Huskies host Western Michigan. The match against the Broncos is slated to be play Rockford, check back with NIUHuskies.com later in the week for the match time.

NIU 4, Illinois State 3

Doubles
1. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Jakub Eisner/Rolando Torrellas (ILS) 7-6
2. Frederic Cadieux/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) vs. Muddappa Appanervand/Urh Krajnc Domiter (ILS), 5-5 unfinished
3. Simon Formont/Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Dylan Steffens/Christoffer Greve (ILS) 7-5

Singles
1. Frederic Cadieux (NIU) def. Jakub Eisner (ILS) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Simon Formont (NIU) def. Urh Krajnc Domiter (ILS) 6-0, 6-4
3. Jacob Wilson (ILS) def. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Rolando Torrellas (ILS) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) 6-0, 6-4
5. Christoffer Greve (ILS) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Dylan Steffens (ILS) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1


Huskies Four-Game Winning Streak Ends

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team fell, 4-3, on Saturday at Southern Illinois. The Salukis won a pair of three-set singles matches that proved to be the difference as the Huskies fell to 12-4 on the season, seeing their four-match win streak come to a close.

"This was an extremely disappointing loss for us today," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We didn't come ready to play and we really struggled in doubles. We had match points to win the match but we didn't deserve to win today.

"I hold myself accountable for not having our guys ready. With such a young team you can't take anything for granted and this was the result we earned today. We have to let this one go and move on to Illinois State tomorrow."

Southern Illinois swept the doubles matches to take the first point. The Salukis won 6-3 at both one and two while Daniel Martinez and Ransom Braaten edged junior Simon Formont (Orléans, France/Lycée Camille Claudel) and freshman Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium), 7-5, at number three.

In singles play, the Huskies swept the bottom three matches in the lineup. Freshman Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) won his 11th dual match win, 6-2, 6-1, over Martinez at number four. Sophomore Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe) knocked off Szymon Opieczonek at number five, 6-2, 6-4, and freshman Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) was a 6-4, 6-3 winner at number six over Peter Molloy.

SIU won at number two as the match came down to a pair of three-set matches at one and three. At number three, Alex Pozo clipped Hjertonsson, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. The match at number one came down to the final game as SIU's Jonny Rigby outlasted senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit), 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, to give the Salukis the victory.

NIU will return to action on Sunday, March 22, as the Huskies visit Illinois State. The match at ISU is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Southern Illinois 4, NIU 3

Doubles
1. Michal Kianicka/Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-3
2. Jonny Rigby/Szymon Opieczonek (SIU) def. Frederic Cadieux/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU), 6-3
3. Daniel Martinez/Ransom Braaten (SIU) def. Simon Formont/Tom Hjertonsson (NIU), 7-5

Singles
1. Jonny Rigby (SIU) def. Frederic Cadieux (NIU), 7-6, 3-6, 7-6
2. Michal Kianicka (SIU) def. Simon Formont (NIU), 6-1, 6-3
3. Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU), 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
4. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Daniel Martinez (SIU), 6-2, 6-1
5. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Szymon Opieczonek (SIU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Peter Molloy (SIU), 6-4, 6-3


Toledo:

Rockets Fall In Two Of Three Matches

CHICAGO, IL - The Toledo men's tennis team lost two of three matches this weekend in the final weekend prior to Mid-American Conference play. The Rockets split its two matches on Friday vs. Findlay and IPFW, and dropped their Saturday match to DePaul.

"This was a solid tune-up weekend," head coach Al Wermer said. "It challenged our fitness, got our attention and put us in some pressure situations. Stjepan and Nicky were outstanding this weekend."

In match one on Friday, the Rockets lost a shortened contest to Findlay, 3-2, as they won the doubles point, but dropped all three singles matchups.

Sophomore Stjepan Sisko and freshman Omar Espinosa earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles, while the senior duo of Nicky Wong and Roberto Meza won 6-3, 6-3 at the second doubles spot.

Following the early match vs. the Oilers, UT traveled to Fort Wayne, where it tallied a 5-2 win over IPFW.

Sisko and Espinosa earned their second win of the day by the score of 6-3, while Wong and Meza also went 2-0 on Friday, winning 6-4 at No. 3 doubles to clinch the first point of the match for the Midnight Blue & Gold.

Sisko continued his singles dominance later in the match, with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory at the top spot.

UT earned points at singles positions Nos. 1-4 as well.

Senior Mark Singnil earned a 6-4, 6-3 decision at No. 2 singles, while Wong and Espinosa won at No. 3 and 4 singles, respectively.

In the final match of the weekend, UT fell 5-2 to DePaul.

The duo of Sisko and Espinosa won its third match of the weekend at No. 1 doubles, with a 6-0 sweep, but the Midnight Blue & Gold dropped the doubles point.

Sisko also earned a singles victory at the No. 1 spot in Saturday's match, his sixth straight win, as his opponent retired in the second set.

Wong was the only other Rocket to score a point in singles play, fighting back from a first set loss to win 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The Rockets begin conference play on Friday, March 27 when they welcome Ball State to the Glass City. The match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be held at either Shadow Valley Tennis Club or the UT Varsity Tennis Courts depending on weather.


Western Michigan:

Men's Tennis Tops Valparaiso, 4-3

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team eked out a close victory to wrap up a three-match homestand, with the Broncos defeating the Valparaiso Crusaders by a 4-3 score at West Hills Athletic Club on Sunday afternoon. WMU improves to 15-4 with the win and have now won 13 of their last 14 matches.

Senior Ruben Greiner delivered the clinching win with a come-from-behind decision in the No. 3 singles match against the Crusaders’ Garrett Gardner. Greiner dropped the first set 6-2, but claimed wins in each of the second and third sets, winning 6-3, 6-1 in the last two sets to complete the comeback victory. WMU allowed Valparaiso to take the first two points of the team match before scoring four in a row to take the victory.

Jimmy Beckwith and Jefta Kecic were the sole Bronco doubles pairing to win a match, beating Lucas Waak and Gardner 6-2 to tie the doubles session before the Crusaders clinched the point with a 6-4 win in the No. 1 match. Charlie Emhardt then made it a 2-0 lead for Valpo with a straight-sets win over Beckwith in the No. 5 singles match. The Broncos rebounded, however, with Maik Steiner downing Jeffrey Schorsch 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles match to put WMU on the board and Stephen Payne blowing past Waak at the No. 6 spot to tie the match.

Kecic bounced back from a second-set loss to Dave Bacalla in the No. 1 singles match to dominate in the third set, winning 6-1 in the final stanza to put the Broncos ahead by a 3-2 score. Greiner did the rest from there, beating Gardner 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to complete the comeback victory.

Western Michigan 4, Valparaiso 3

Singles competition
1. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Dave Bacalla (VALPO) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
2. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Jeffrey Schorsch (VALPO) 6-4, 6-2
3. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Garrett Gardner (VALPO) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Kyle Dunn (VALPO) def. Matt Hamilton (WMU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
5. Charlie Emhardt (VALPO) def. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) 6-0, 6-4
6. Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Lucas Waak (VALPO) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Charlie Emhardt/Jeffrey Schorsch (VALPO) def. Ruben Greiner/Maik Steiner (WMU) 6-4
2. Dave Bacalla/Chase Hamilton (VALPO) def. Stephen Payne/Matt Hamilton (WMU) 6-4
3. Jimmy Beckwith/Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Lucas Waak/Garrett Gardner (VALPO) 6-2

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


Broncos Sweep Doubleheader

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team got back to its winning ways on Wednesday, shutting out both opponents it played in a doubleheader sweep of Ferris State and Western Illinois in Kalamazoo. With the wins, the Broncos improve to 14-4 on the season. They will conclude their three-match homestand on Sunday when they host Valparaiso at 3 p.m.

WMU started the day by playing outdoors in their first home outdoor dual match of the season, beating the Bulldogs 7-0 for a solid start to the afternoon. The doubles pairing of Stephen Payne and Ruben Greiner opened the session with a 6-3 win over the Bulldogs’ Laurent Galarneau and Aaron Dial, and the duo of Jimmy Beckwith and Maik Steiner clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win over Tyler Bridges and Vasil Surduk in the No. 2 spot. Andrew Cahn and Marc Shideler finished things off with a competitive win over Roger Hernandez and Zachary Grabovic, downing them 6-4 to complete the doubles sweep.

Beckwith was the first to strike in singles play, beating Grabovic 6-3, 6-0 in the No. 5 match, and Steiner quickly made it a 3-0 score with a straight-sets win over Galarneau. Finishing off the Bulldogs was Jefta Kecic, who blew past Surduk 6-2, 6-2 for the deciding victory. Greiner beat Hernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 singles match, Cahn cruised past Hunt at No. 6, and Pablo Mora closed out the scoring with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Bridges at the No. 4 spot to complete the blanking of the Bulldogs.

Payne and Marc Shideler started things off against the Leathernecks in the nightcap played at West Hills Athletic Club, beating Western Illinois’s No. 3 duo of Anthony Timberlake and Jacob Sanders by a perfect 6-0 mark to open the session. Beckwith and Kecic followed suit in the No. 2 doubles match, beating Chris Bunch and Ross Smith by an identical 6-0 score. Steiner and Greiner faced a little more adversity but still came to the same result, beating Nikola Pavlovic and Surya Sawhney 6-3 in the top doubles match to complete the sweep.

Things proceeded even more quickly in the singles session, with WMU immediately taking a 2-0 lead after the Leathernecks’ Bunch withdrew from the No. 1 singles match just three games in. Cahn blew past Timberlake 6-1, 6-0 to make it a 3-0 score, and Payne blanked Smith 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 5 singles match to complete the win. Mora recorded an identical score over Sanders in the No. 4 match, Beckwith beat Sawhney 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match, and Greiner completed the win with a 6-2, 6-1 decision in the No. 2 match.

Western Michigan 7, Ferris State 0

Singles competition
1. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Laurent Galarneau (FSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Vasil Surduk (FSU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Roger Hernandez (FSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Tyler Bridges (FSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Zachary Grabovic (FSU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Connor Hunt (FSU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Stephen Payne/Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Laurent Galarneau/Aaron Dial (FSU) 6-3
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Tyler Bridges/Vasil Surduk (FSU) 6-3
3. Andrew Cahn/Marc Shideler (WMU) def. Roger Hernandez/Zachary Grabovic (FSU) 6-4

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

Western Michigan 7, Western Illinois 0

Singles competition
1. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Chris Bunch (WIU) 3-0, retired
2. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Nikola Pavlovic (WIU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Surya Sawhney (WIU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Jacob Sanders (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Ross Smith (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
6. Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Anthony Timberlake (WIU) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Maik Steiner/Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Nikola Pavlovic/Surya Sawhney (WIU) 6-3
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Chris Bunch/Ross Smith (WIU) 6-0
3. Stephen Payne/Marc Shideler (WMU) def. Anthony Timberlake/Jacob Sanders (WIU) 6-0

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