CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will put its six-match winstreak on the line this weekend, traveling to Duquesne and Youngstown State for a pair of contests. CSU (11-5, 2-0) will open the weekend at Duquesne on Friday, April 3 and will then play at Youngstown State on Saturday, April 4.
Friday, April 3 | @ Duquesne | 2:00 p.m.
Alpha Tennis and Fitness | 1 Alpha Drive East | Harmarville, Pa. | 15238
Saturday, April 4 | @ Youngstown State | 6:00 p.m.
Boardman Tennis Center | 1223 W. Western Reserve Rd. | Youngstown, Ohio | 44514
Vikings Look To Extend Winstreak
Cleveland State enters the weekend on a six-match winstreak, going undefeated over the past three weeks. The six-match winstreak marks the fourth longest streak over the past 13 seasons for the Vikings, and marks the ninth time that CSU has won at least six contests in a row. Cleveland State's longest winstreak came during the 2008-09 season, when the Vikings won 10 straight matches before falling to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
Goth & Mick Pick Up First Dual Match Victories
Kevin Goth and Andre Mick picked up their first dual match victories of the season last weekend, as all nine Vikings on the roster have now posted a singles win this spring. Goth earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles, while Mick posted a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles - both wins coming against Oberlin College.
Horizon League Play
Following last Friday's 5-2 victory over Detroit, the Vikings are now 2-0 in Horizon League play this season. This marks the seventh time that CSU has opened its league slate with a 2-0 record, and a win against YSU on Saturday would mark the sixth time that CSU would be 3-0 to start league play.
Individuals In Horizon League Play
Entering Saturday's contest at Youngstown State three Vikings are a perfect 2-0 in Horizon League singles play – Manuel Bellutti, Mirko Radosevic, and Ali Shabib. After the first two league contests, CSU is 9-3 in singles play as a team, with perfect 2-0 records at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 singles.
In The Record Book
After picking up a pair of victories last weekend, senior Ali Shabib moved into seventh place on the CSU singles wins list, entering Friday's contest at Duquesne with 58 career wins. Shabib, who owns a 14-12 singles record this season, needs just two more wins to become the seventh Viking all-time with 60 career wins.
Jorg van der Vloet and Joe VanMeter are also in the top-10 on the CSU singles wins list - van der Vloet ranking ninth with 57 wins and VanMeter ranking 10th with 53 victories. VanMeter cracked the top-10 list last weekend, after picking up a win against Oberlin.
Bellutti Closing In On 50 Wins
Playing in just his second season as a Viking, senior Manuel Bellutti is closing in on 50 career singles wins, entering the weekend with a 44-15 record on his career. Bellutti, who has a team-best 19-6 singles record this season, would become the 12th Viking all-time to notch 50 career singles wins and the fourth to do so this season. As a junior Bellutti posted a 25-9 singles record - a mark that ranks fifth on the CSU single-season wins list – while he is closing in on another 20-win season this year.
Scouting the Dukes
Duquesne enters the weekend with a 9-4 overall record, and has won three straight entering Friday's contest. CSU will be Duquesne's third Horizon League opponent this season, also defeating Youngstown State and Wright State. Rich Robbie and Corey Robinson have been Duquesne's top singles players this year, with Robbie picking up all six victories at the top of the lineup. This duo has also teamed up to be the top doubles team, posting a 4-5 record at No. 1 doubles.
Under head coach Brian Etzkin the Vikings own a 7-2 record against the Dukes.
Scouting the Penguins
Youngstown State enters the weekend with a 6-9 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Horizon League play. So far this season the Penguins have defeated Wright State (6-1) and Detroit (4-3), and have won three straight entering Saturday's match. Remi Chancerel (7-8) has been YSU's top singles player this season, while the Penguins have had a mix of doubles teams playing at the top spot.
The Vikings are 16-4 against Youngstown State over the past 12 seasons.
