Contact: Renee Adam
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State men's tennis team had a well-rounded performance Saturday evening, posting a 6-1 victory over St. Bonaventure. The Vikings are now 3-6 on the season and 2-1 at home.
The Vikings were able to control the match from the beginning, earning the doubles point for the third time in the last four matches. Cleveland State earned victories in all three doubles matches, led by the No. 1 duo of Ali Shabib and Niklas Jonsson who improved to 16-4 this season with an 8-1 win. Matt Kuelker and Jorg van der Vloet finished next at the No. 2 spot, earning an 8-2 victory. Nolan Marks and Joe VanMeter then posted the third victory, notching their fourth straight win with an 8-7 (6) decision at No. 3 doubles.
"I was happy to come away with another doubles point tonight, we have been playing great doubles for a couple weeks now and hopefully we can keep that momentum going," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "I thought early on in the match it was very competitive and we were able to keep our focus and pull away during the first few singles matches."
Jonsson, who was playing at No. 5 singles, gave CSU a quick 2-0 advantage with a 6-2, 6-0 victory - his second straight win and team-leading fourth of the spring season. Matt Ford quickly followed with a 6-4, 6-0 victory at the No. 6 spot, before van der Vloet clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No.1 singles. van der Vloet's win against St. Bonaventure also marked his second straight and fourth of the dual match season.
The Vikings were then able to close out the match with two victories in the final three singles matches. Kuelker notched his fourth victory of the spring with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles, before Marks earned a come-from-behind, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 spot - his second straight singles victory.
"Niklas was on fire today, he was able to get us a quick second point which is always helpful when it comes to energy and momentum," Etzkin said. "Matt Ford stepped in today and had a huge match for us, while Jorg also had a big win after having to stay focused and play good tennis against a tough opponent. Matt Kuelker once again did his thing on the court and pulled out a strong win for us, and Nolan wrapped up the match with another three-setter and it was good to see him playing good tennis again."
Cleveland State was also able to pick up a pair of exhibition wins - Jay Jones in singles (8-4) and Jones/Ford in doubles (8-2).
"This was a good team win for us, with everyone contributing during singles and doubles action. We will now head to Florida and face some tough competition, including a ranked team in North Florida to start the week," Etzkin said.
The Vikings will open their Florida trip at North Florida on Saturday, March 9 with a 2:00 p.m. contest. CSU will also be playing at Central Florida (Sunday, March 10) and Stetson (Tuesday, March 12).
Cleveland State 6, St. Bonaventure 1
Doubles:
1. SHABIB, Ali/JONSSON, Niklas (CSU) def. YANEZ, Oscar/GUEVARA, Luis (SBU) 8-1
2. MARKS, Nolan/VANMETER, Joe (CSU) def. FANSHEL, Elliot/ORTIZ, Javier (SBU) 8-7 (6)
3. KUELKER, Matt/VAN DER VLOET, Jorg (CSU) def. HASKELL, Trevor/REHBERGER, Celso (SBU) 8-2
Singles:
1. van der Vloet, Jorg (CSU) def. FANSHEL, Elliot (SBU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Kuelker, Matt (CSU) def. YANEZ, Oscar (SBU) 7-5, 6-1
3. Marks, Nolan (CSU) def. GUEVARA, Luis (SBU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
4. ORTIZ, Javier (SBU) def. VanMeter, Joe (CSU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Jonsson, Niklas (CSU) def. HASKELL, Trevor (SBU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Ford, Matt (CSU) def. CARDENAS, Gabriel (SBU) 6-4, 6-0
Exhibition Matches:
Ford/Jones (CSU) def. Sharma/Cardenes (SBU), 8-2
Jones (CSU) def. Rehberger (SBU), 8-4
