WESTLAKE, Ohio – For the second straight year the Cleveland State men's tennis team has started its spring season with a perfect 3-0 record, as the Vikings picked up a 6-1 victory over IUPUI Friday afternoon.
"This was another great team match for us today, we were able to pick up the doubles point for the third match in a row, and hopefully that can become a theme this year for us and we can continue to improve on our doubles play throughout the season," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "These past three matches we have been playing without an important part of our lineup, and it was great for the rest of the team to get this experience and see what they are capable of. Being able to pick up three wins early on this season really shows how deep we are going to be when we have a full lineup."
Cleveland State's 3-0 record ties for the best start to a spring season under head coach Brian Etzkin, as the Vikings also got off to a 3-0 start during the 2006-07 and 2014-15 seasons.
For the third time this season the Vikings were able to get out to the early 1-0 start after picking up the doubles point, as Cleveland State picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. At the top of the lineup, Joe VanMeter and Andre Mick posted a 7-5 victory, while Mirko Radosevic and William Malm notched a 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot.
The Vikings were able to quickly add to their lead during singles play then, as VanMeter notched a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 2 singles and Benjamin Slade posted a 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot. VanMeter is now 3-0 during the spring season, and has 64 career singles victories, just six wins shy of becoming the seventh Viking all-time to notch 70 career singles wins.
After dropping the No. 4 singles match, Cleveland State was able to rebound and clinch the match at No. 5 singles, with Kevin Goth picking up his third straight singles victory, in a 6-2, 7-5 decision. This marked the second time this season that Goth has clinched the match for the Vikings, also doing so against Duquesne.
The Vikings were then able to pick up wins on the final two courts, as Radosevic earned a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory at the top of the lineup and Malm earned a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 10-3 victory at No. 6 singles.
"We were able to keep the momentum on our side at the beginning of singles, with Joe and Ben picking up two quick points, which was great. Kevin is getting some great experience in the lineup during these first few matches, and he has definitely earned that opportunity. William showed a lot of heart today after pushing through an injury to pick up a win, and Mirko played another solid match at the top of the lineup for us," Etkin said.
Cleveland State will return to action next weekend, when the Vikings hit the road for the first time during the 2016 spring season, traveling to Michigan (Friday, Feb. 5) and Michigan State (Saturday, Feb. 6).
Cleveland State 6, IUPUI 1
Doubles
1. VanMeter/Mick (CSU) def. Whittaker/Calero (IUPUI), 7-5
2. Slade/Goth (CSU) vs. Beasley/Verma (IUPUI), 6-6, unf
3. Radosevic/Malm (CSU) def. McAuley/Moe (IUPUI), 6-2
Singles
1. Mirko Radosevic (CSU) def. David Beasley (IUPUI), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Jac Newis (IUPUI), 6-2, 6-1
3. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Marcus Nalley (IUPUI), 6-3, 6-2
4. Akshay Verma (IUPUI) def. Andre Mick (CSU), 7-5, 6-1
5. Kevin Goth (CSU) def. Jose Calero (IUPUI), 6-2, 7-5
6. William Malm (CSU) def. Patrick McAuley (IUPUI), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 10-3
