Contact: Renee Adam
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Cleveland State men's tennis team kept its Horizon League record perfect Saturday evening, picking up a 4-3 victory at Youngstown State. The win, which marked Cleveland State's third straight, improved the Vikings' record to 6-9 this season and 2-0 in league play.
"Once again we had a really strong doubles performance that gave us a lot of momentum throughout the match," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "The No. 2 team of Matt Kuelker and Nolan had a great match for us tonight and really showed what they are capable of. We were able to carry that momentum into singles play, as we picked up victories in three of the first four singles matches to clinch the match. Hopefully we can continue this next weekend as we travel to Green Bay and Marquette."
After picking up the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, Cleveland State then posted victories in three out of the first four singles matches on the court to claim the 4-3 win over the Penguins Saturday evening. Ali Shabib and Niklas Jonssonposted an 8-6 victory at No. 1 doubles, while Matt Kuelker and Nolan Marks earned an 8-5 win at the No. 2 position.
Since the men were playing simultaneously with the women, the top four singles matches were the first to take the courts, with CSU picking up straight set victories at the No. 2, 3 and 4 spots. Matt Kuelker earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles, Ali Shabibposted a 6-4, 6-4 win at the No. 3 spot and Nolan Marks picked up a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles. YSU was able to pick up straight set wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles, while Joe VanMeter forced his No. 5 singles match into a tiebreaker - falling 6-7, 7-5, 11-9.
The Vikings will continue their four-match roadswing next weekend, traveling to Wisconsin for a pair of matches. First up will be a non-league contest at Marquette on Saturday (April 6), followed by a Horizon League contest at Green Bay on Sunday (April 7).
Cleveland State 4, Youngstown State 3
Doubles:
No. 1 - Shabib/ Jonsson (CSU) def. Hagn/Kabli (YSU) - 8-6
No. 2 - Kuelker/Marks (CSU) def. Ismail/Campos (YSU) - 8-5
No. 3 - Mistreanu/Rosa (YSU) def. Vloet/VanMeter (CSU) - 8-5
Singles:
No. 1 - Mistreanu (YSU) def. van der Vloet (CSU) - 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 - Kuelker (CSU) def. Hagn (YSU) - 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 - Shabib (CSU) def. Kabli (YSU) - 6-4, 6-4
No. 4 - Marks (CSU) def. Rosa (YSU) - 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 - Ismail (YSU) def. VanMeter (CSU) - 6-7, 7-5, 11-9
No. 6 - Campos (YSU) def. Ford (CSU) - 7-5, 6-3
