Mid-American Conference

MAC Men's Tennis Scoreboard

Friday, April 17
Buffalo 4, Ball State 3
Western Michigan 7, Toledo 0

Sunday, April 19
Binghamton 5, Ball State 2
Northern Illinois 5, Buffalo 2


Ball State:

Cardinals Drop Regular Season Finale, 5-2 At Binghamton

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The Ball State men's tennis team (12-11, 2-3 MAC) suffered a 5-2 setback at Binghamton (6-16, 2-3 MAC) in its last Mid-American Conference regular season match Sunday in New York.

"It was a very disappointing loss," Ball State head men's tennis coach Bill Richards said.  "We had opportunities in five of the six singles matches but only could pull out one of them. Binghamton came through in clutch situations much better than we did today. It was a very difficult way to end the season."

Ball State entered singles play with a 1-0 advantage after taking the doubles point from the Bearcats.  Ray Leonard and Collin Rigney earned the first doubles victory with their 6-2 win over Ismael Dinia and Vihar Shah on court two.  After that, the Cardinals No. 1 doubles tandem of Patrick Elliott and Lucas Anderesen claimed the point after defeating Robin Lesage and Eliott Hureau, 6-4.

Binghamton took five of the six singles matches from Ball State.  Andersen gave the Cardinals their second point of the match after taking Lesage down in three sets, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 on court two.  Both Andrew Stutz and Patrick Downs fell to their opponents in three sets at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions.  Leonard, Elliott and Jirus would lose to their respective opponents in straight sets.


Men's Tennis Falls At Buffalo, 4-3

BUFFALO, NY - The Ball State men's tennis team (12-10, 2-2 MAC) suffered a tough 4-3 loss at Buffalo (10-9, 2-2 MAC) Friday afternoon in Mid-American Conference action.

"It was another hard fought conference match between two good teams," Ball State head men's tennis coach Bill Richards said.  "Unfortunately, this time we couldn't quite pull it out after dropping the doubles point.  It was a great effort on the road but a very tough loss. We have to bounce back Sunday."

The Cardinals lost the doubles point against the Bulls for the first time in Ball State's last two conference matches.  Andrew Stutz alongside teammate Matt Helm would take the first loss for Ball State on court three, after falling 6-2 to Buffalo's Damien David and Akhil Mehta.  Ray Leonard and Collin Rigney followed with a 6-4 loss over the Bulls Pablo Alvarez and Amar Hromic at the No. 2 doubles position.  On the top court, Patrick Elliott and Lucas Andersen were tied with Buffalo 4-4 but the match wasn't completed because Buffalo had already claimed the point.

In singles action, Leonard would give Ball State its first point after taking down Alvarez by a score of 6-2, 6-3 on court one to tie the match 1-1.  Buffalo quickly regained a 2-1 lead after Hromic defeated Stutz at the No. 5 spot, 6-4, 6-4.

After that, Patrick Downs would earn a straight set victory over Sergio Arevallio on court five and Andersen would take a three set thriller from David on court two to give Ball State the 3-2 advantage over the Bulls.  The match came down to Cardinals Jan Jirus at the No. 4 position.  Jirus put up a good fight but fell in three sets against the Bulls Jonathan Hannestad, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.


Binghamton:

Bearcats Defeat Ball State, 5-2

VESTAL, N.Y.- The Binghamton men's tennis team beat Ball State, 5-2, Sunday morning, clinching a spot in the Mid-American (MAC) Conference Tournament. The Bearcats will compete for their first-ever MAC title next weekend at Northern Illinois.

After Ball State won the doubles' point with two pairs' wins, BU had to rally for the win. Junior #1 Sid Hazarika beat Ray Leonard in straight sets, but Lucas Andersen took a three-set match from Binghamton's Robin Lesage in the #2 contest. Ismael Dinia earned BU a point with a tight, 7-6 (3), 6-4, win over Patrick Elliott. In the #4 match, Eliott Hureau picked up a straight set victory over Jan Jirus.

"This morning we discussed with the team how we have faced a lot of adversity this season and been put in difficult circumstances with our travel, the number of ranked teams and the coaching changes mid-year, but that those challenges have served to make us a better team in the long run," said first-year head coach Nick Zieziula. "That came to life in today's match as we lost the doubles' point and lost three first sets. Ball State came ready to compete, but when we faced adversity, we used it as a reason to step up our game and not back down."

Sophomore Thomas Caputo had the chance to secure the team win in the #5 match, and the Livingston, New Jersey, native came through. After dropping the first set, 6-2, Caputo came back, taking games 7-5 and 6-4 to clinch BU's win and a spot in next week's conference tournament.

"We talked with Caputo early in the week and told him that we were going to need his point, so it was fitting that he was the fourth point to clinch it today," said Zieziula. "It was a gritty match on all courts and we pulled together as a team and put together a great effort."

Frenk Kote rallied for a three-set win over Patrick Downs in the #6 contest. Kote won by scores of 0-6, 6-3, and 7-6 (5) to close out the match.

BU improved to 7-15 overall and 3-2 in the MAC. It will be the third seed in the four-team MAC Tournament, hosted by Northern Illinois next weekend. Binghamton will square off with Western Michigan at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 24. NIU won the regular season title and will face fourth-seeded Buffalo at 10 a.m. on Friday. The winners will meet in the championship match on Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. 

"We have focused on the process of working hard each day and improving piece by piece. We will continue that process this week and carry that attitude through Dekalb," said Zieziula.

BU's two seniors, Lesage and Dinia, were both honored prior to the match Sunday.

DOUBLES
1. Elliott/Andersen (BALL) def. Lesage/Hureau (BU), 6-4
2. Leonard/Collin Rigney (BALL) def. Dinia/Shah (BU), 6-2
3. Hazarika/Kote (BU) def. Stutz/Patrick Downs (BALL), 6-2

SINGLES
1. Sid Hazarika (BU) def. Ray Leonard (BALL), 7-5, 6-4
2. Lucas Andersen (BALL) def. Robin Lesage (BU), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2
3. Ismael Dinia (BU) def. Patrick Elliott (BALL), 7-6 (3), 6-4
4. Eliott Hureau (BU) def. Jan Jirus (BALL), 6-0, 6-3
5. Thomas Caputo (BU) def. Andrew Stutz (BALL), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
6. Frenk Kote (BU) def. Patrick Downs (BALL), 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)


Buffalo:

Bulls Drop 5-2 Decision To NIU

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York men's tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to visiting Northern Illinois Sunday afternoon at the Ellicott Tennis Courts.

With the win, the Huskies (18-5, 4-1 MAC) locked up the Mid-American Conference regular-season title and the top seed in the weekend tournament, while the Bulls (10-10, 2-3 MAC) secured the four seed.

For the fourth straight match, UB won the doubles point. Senior Damien David and junior Akhil Mehta teamed together to thrash the Huskies' third doubles duo, 6-1. NIU deadlocked action at 1-1 claiming a 6-4 victory over juniors Amar Hromic and Pablo Alvarez at two, before junior Sergio Arevalillo and sophomore Jonathan Hannestad pulled out a 7-6 (4) win at the top position.

On his senior day, David won his second singles match against Simon Formont, 6-2, 7-5, to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead, but Northern dominated to win the remaining matches. Hromic and senior Sebastian Ionescu each fell in straight sets to the Huskies knotting the match at 2-2. NIU's Georg Lundkvist outlasted Arevalillo at six, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while Fred Cadieux edged Alvarez 7-6, 6-4 at first singles to ultimately claim the team title. Hannestad fell to Tom Hjertonsson at four, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2 to conclude the match.

In just five days, the Bulls and Huskies will again match up. UB will travel to NIU for the MAC Tournament. The pair will play the first semifinal Friday at 10 am (CT) vying for a spot in Saturday's 1 pm (CT) title match.

DOUBLES:
No. 1: Arevalillo/Hannestad (UB) def. Daun/Lundkvist (NIU), 7-6 (4)
No. 2: Hamel/Cadieux (NIU) def. Hromic/Alvarez (UB), 6-4
No. 3: David/Mehta (UB) def. Formont/Manzanas (NIU), 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

SINGLES:
No. 1: Fred Cadieux (NIU) def. Pablo Alvarez (UB), 7-6, 6-4
No. 2: Damien David (UB) def. Simon Formont (NIU), 6-2, 7-5
No. 3: Louis Hamel (NIU) def. Sebastian Ionescu (UB), 6-4, 6-4
No. 4: Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Jonathan Hannestad (UB), 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2
No. 5: Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Amar Hromic (UB), 7-5, 6-4
No. 6: Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 5, 3, 6, 1, 4


Men's Tennis Aces Ball State, 4-3

BUFFALO, NY – In front of a stellar crowd, the University at Buffalo, State University of New York men's tennis team edged out visiting Ball State, 4-3, Friday afternoon at the Ellicott Tennis Courts.

The Bulls (10-9, 2-2 MAC) picked up the doubles point and split singles action with the Cardinals (12-10, 2-2 MAC) to win their second straight match.

Senior Damien David and junior Akhil Mehta teamed together at third doubles to win the day's first match, 6-2. At two, juniors Pablo Alvarez and Amar Hromic posted a 6-4 victory to call sophomore Jonathan Hannestad and junior Sergio Arevalillo's first doubles match at 4-4.

Hromic picked up the Bulls' first singles victory at the fifth position, defeating Andrew Stutz, 6-4, 6-4. The Cardinals knotted the match at 2-2 with wins at first and sixth singles, before senior Sebastian Ionescu outlasted Patrick Elliott at three, 6-2, 6-4. David fell to Lucas Andersen at second singles, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, leaving the match up to Hannestad and Ball State's Jan Jirus to decide. Jirus had taken the first set at fourth singles, 6-4, though Hannestad answered to claim the second, 6-3. Hannestad edged Jirus, 6-4, in the third to cue the cowbell and cheers from the crowd.

DOUBLES
No. 1: Arevalillo/Hannestad (UB) vs. Elliott/Andersen (BSU), 4-4 DNF
No. 2: Alvarez/Hromic (UB) def. Leonard/Rigney (BSU), 6-4
No. 3: David/Mehta (UB) def. Stutz/Helm (BSU), 6-2

Order of Finish: 3, 2

SINGLES
No. 1: Ray Leonard (BSU) def. Pablo Alvarez (UB), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2: Lucas Andersen (BSU) def. Damien David (UB), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
No. 3: Sebastian Ionescu (UB) def. Patrick Elliott (BSU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 4: Jonathan Hannestad (UB) def. Jan Jirus (BSU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 5: Amar Hromic (UB) def. Andrew Stutz (BSU), 6-4, 6-4
No. 6: Patrick Downs (BSU) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 6-3, 6-2

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


Northern Illinois:

Huskies Beat Buffalo, 5-2, To Win MAC Regular Season Title

DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team claimed its second consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season championship with a 5-2 victory at Buffalo on Sunday to close the regular season. With the win, the Huskies improve to 18-5 on the season, 4-1 in MAC play.

"Obviously this is a great day for this young team," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "I'm happy for Fred (Cadieux), our only senior, to win another MAC Championship, making it three in four years, which is just remarkable. I know we have had many great players come through NIU, but none have won like Fred playing top-three his last three years, winning 95 singles matches in just three-and-a-half years, no question he is a slam dunk for NIU Hall of Fame.

"I thought we came out flat and scared in doubles and after I got on our guys to step up and fight back they responded. We are looking forward to the tournament, we have nothing to lose, we were not expected to win (the regular season) every team in the tournament was picked ahead of us so go into the tournament without any pressure on us."

The Huskies fell behind early, dropping the doubles point on a tiebreaker in the match at number one. Freshman Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) and senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit) were victorious at number two, 6-4, while Buffalo's Damien David and Akhil Mehta were 6-1 winners at number three.

The doubles point came down to number one where Buffalo's Sergio Arevalillo and Jonathan Hannestad outlasted freshmen Kevin Daun    (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) and Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun), 7-6 (4).

Buffalo took a 2-0 lead as David defeated junior Simon Formont (Orléans, France/Lycée Camille Claudel) at number two singles, 6-2, 7-5.

NIU rallied to win all five of the remaining singles matches, beginning with a 7-5, 6-4 victory by sophomore Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe) at number five. The victory was Manzanas' sixth consecutive win, and his 21st of the season.

Hamel then earned his 20th win of the season with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sebastian Ionescu at number three as the Huskies pulled even, 2-2. Lundkvist put the Huskies in front for the first time with a three-set, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, win at number six over Sergio Arevalillo.

The Huskies clinched the match victory, and the conference regular season crown, on Cadieux's 7-6, 6-4 win over Pablo Alvarez at number one, Cadieux's 17th singles win of the season and the 95th of his NIU career, moving him into the top-five in school history.

Freshman Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) finished the match with a 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2 win over Jonathan Hannestad at number four.

NIU will host the 2015 MAC Men's Tennis Championship beginning on Friday, April 24, when the Huskies will meet Buffalo, who earned the tournament's fourth seed, for the second time in six days. The match between the Huskies and Bulls is scheduled for 10 a.m.

NIU 5, Buffalo 2

Doubles
No. 1: Sergio Arevalillo/Jonathan Hannestad (UB) def. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 7-6 (4)
No. 2: Louis-Philippe Hamel/Frederic Cadieux (NIU) def. Amar Hromic/Pablo Alvarez (UB), 6-4
No. 3: Damien David/Akhil Mehta (UB) def. Simon Formont/Carlos Manzanas (NIU), 6-1

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
No. 1: Frederic Cadieux (NIU) def. Pablo Alvarez (UB), 7-6, 6-4
No. 2: Damien David (UB) def. Simon Formont (NIU), 6-2, 7-5
No. 3: Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Sebastian Ionescu (UB), 6-4, 6-4
No. 4: Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Jonathan Hannestad (UB), 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2
No. 5: Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Amar Hromic (UB), 7-5, 6-4
No. 6: Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Sergio Arevalillo (UB), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 5, 3, 6, 1, 4 


Toledo:

Rockets Swept By Broncos, 7-0

KALAMAZOO, MI - The Toledo men's tennis team was unable to end its regular season on a high note, as it dropped a 7-0 decision to Western Michigan on Friday afternoon.

"It didn't go well for us today," head coach Al Wermer said. "Losing Mark (Singnil) to injury surely didn't help us, but we also didn't play up to our potential and Western played tough."

Sophomore Stjepan Sisko suffered his first conference loss and first loss in the last 10 matches. He finishes the year with a 19-3 overall record and 4-1 mark in league action.

With Singnil's injury, senior Nicky Wong moved up to the No. 2 singles spot for just the fifth time this season, and the rest of the Toledo lineup moved up a spot as well.

The Broncos won in straight sets at Nos. 2-6 singles.

In doubles play, Toledo dropped matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, while Sisko and freshman Omar Espinosa were tied at three when the match was called short.


Western Michigan:

Broncos Blank Rockets On Senior Day

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men’s tennis team sent its seniors off in style on Friday with a dominant effort on the home courts, as the Broncos shut out the Toledo Rockets 7-0 at Sorensen Courts on WMU’s campus. With the win, the Broncos finish the regular season with an 18-6 overall record and a 3-2 record in Mid-American Conference play.

Now all eyes will turn to Sunday’s match between Northern Illinois and Buffalo. Should the Bulls defeat the Huskies, WMU and NIU will share the MAC regular season title with identical 3-2 records. Northern Illinois would remain the top seed in the MAC Tournament, though, as they hold a tiebreaker over the Broncos due to head-to-head competition.

Jefta Kecic clinched the team win for the Broncos with a thorough shutdown of the Rockets’ Nicky Wong, winning 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 2 singles match. Kecic improved to 23-12 on the season with the win, including a 6-2 mark in the No. 2 spot of the line-up. Matt Hamilton recorded his team-best 31st win of the season to open the singles session, beating Roberto Meza 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 4 singles match to make it 2-0, and Pablo Mora was dominant in his final match at Sorensen Courts, defeating Garrett Cona 6-2, 6-0 in the No. 6 singles match.

The Broncos continued to roll through the singles session, though, with Maik Steiner closing out the day by beating the Rockets’ top player Stjepan Sisko. Steiner fell in a tight 7-5 decision in the first set but dominated the second, winning 6-1 to send the match to a third-set tiebreaker. Steiner eked out the 10-8 decision to snap Sisko’s 10-match win streak and deal him his only loss against MAC opposition. Ruben Greiner took a tight match with Omar Espinosa in the No. 3 holes, winning 6-4, 6-4, and Jimmy Beckwith came back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to beat Stephen Miller 6-0, 7-5 in the No. 5 singles match.

The day started with a strong effort in doubles action, beginning with Hamilton and Steiner beating Miller and Wong 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match to take the edge. Beckwith and Stephen Payne finished it off with a similarly strong effort against Cona and Meza, winning 6-2 to take the doubles point.

Western Michigan 7, Toledo 0

Singles competition
1. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Stjepan Sisko (UT) 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
2. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Nicky Wong (UT) 6-2, 6-3
3. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Omar Espinosa (UT) 6-4, 6-4
4. Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Roberto Meza (UT) 6-1, 6-0
5. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Stephen Miller (UT) 6-0, 7-5
6. Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Garrett Cona (UT) 6-2, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Ruben Greiner/Jefta Kecic (WMU) vs. Stjepan Sisko/Omar Espinosa (UT) 3-3, unfinished
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Garrett Cona/Roberto Meza (UT) 6-2
3. Matt Hamilton/Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Stephen Miller/Nicky Wong (UT) 6-1

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