CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team got back in the win column Friday evening, battling for a 4-3 victory at Xavier behind a strong performance from the top of the singles lineup.
Cleveland State vs. Xavier PDF Box Score
From The Sidelines
"This was another classic Xavier-Cleveland State match – definitely another fun day on the courts – and it is great to come away with the win. I thought the energy was great today, especially as the match went on, and it was good for us to see what we could do being a man down and losing the doubles point. We were able to pick up wins in three of the four three-set singles matches today, which is a credit to all of the conditioning that the team has been doing throughout the first part of the season. Gabe was key today, he played some of his best tennis since he has been here, and Matt was able to save a match point in his third set tiebreaker to come back and get a huge win for us. Definitely another step in the right direction, and a momentum builder heading into our Spring Break Trip." – Head coach Brian Etzkin
Match Notes
· 2018 Record: 9-5
· Junior Benjamin Slade picked up his 51st career victory with his win at No. 3 singles, and is now seven wins shy of moving into the top-10 on the CSU Singles Wins List.
· The Vikings were playing with an altered lineup due to injury for the sixth straight match.
· Cleveland State has now won four of its last five matches.
· The Vikings are in the midst of a six-match roadswing, and currently stand at 2-1 during this stretch.
· This was the 12th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State now owning a 7-5 record in the series.
The Points
· Gabriel Evtimov picked up Cleveland State's first singles win on the day, earning a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles, improving to 5-6 this spring.
· Benjamin Slade then evened the match at 2-2 with a win at No. 3 singles, posting a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win to pick up his 15th singles win of the season, and improve to 9-4 this spring. Slade's nine singles wins during dual match play is tied for the team-lead, while he now stands at 4-1 when playing at the No. 3 spot this spring.
· Matthew Terry picked up Cleveland State's next singles win at the top of the lineup, earning a 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7) victory to give the Vikings a 3-2 advantage. With Friday's win, Terry improved to 3-2 when playing at the top of the lineup, and now stands at 19-8 overall this season.
· Cleveland State's clinching point came from Luke Phillips at No. 2 singles, as he battled for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory – picking up his seventh win out of the last eight matches. Phillips is now 19-8 overall this season and is tied for the team-lead with nine singles wins this spring.
Up Next
· Cleveland State will head south to Florida for its annual Spring Break Trip next weekend, taking on Miami (Sunday, March 11), Barry (Tuesday, March 13) and Palm Beach Atlantic (Wednesday, March 14).
The Results
Doubles
1. Dykema/Araujo (XAV) def. Slade/Radosevic (CSU), 6-0
2. Lafavre/Graft (XAV) def. Phillips/Malm (CSU), 6-4
3. Santilli/Terry (CSU) def. Winters/Vidal (XAV), 6-4
Singles
1. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Jack Dykema (XAV), 4-6, 6-0, 7-6(7)
2. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Brett Winters (XAV), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
3. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Jan Vrba (XAV), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Gabriel Evtimov (CSU) def. A. Rodriguez-Vidal (XAV), 6-4, 6-4
5. Gabriel Araujo (XAV) def. Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(5)
6. Matthew Graft (XAV) def. Jack Santilli (CSU), 6-1, 6-4
