DAYTON, Ohio – For the second straight match, the Cleveland State men's tennis team was able to pick up a hard fought 4-3 victory, as the Vikings battled for the win at Dayton Friday evening.
PDF BOX SCORE | Cleveland State 4, Dayton 3
Quick Hits
· With his win at No. 4 singles, Benjamin Slade now has 67 career singles wins, and is just three wins shy of becoming the eighth Viking all-time with 70 career victories.
· Nico Mostardi notched his 56th career singles win against the Flyers, as he is now just four wins shy of joining Benjamin Slade in the top-10 on the CSU Singles Wins List.
· Freshman Raul Teichmann picked up his first dual match singles win of his collegiate career Friday, and is now tied for the team-lead with 11 singles wins on the year.
· Friday's match marked the fifth of a seven-match roadswing that the Vikings are opening the 2019 spring season with.
· The Vikings have now won two straight matches, with both coming as 4-3 decisions.
The Match
Despite dropping the doubles point, the Vikings were able to quickly even the match with a win at No. 5 singles, as Raul Teichmann posted a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Dayton's Steven Karl.
The Vikings were then able to gain a 2-1 advantage after Nico Mostardi picked up his second straight singles win, as he earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the top of the lineup.
Although Dayton was able to even the match with a win at No. 2 singles, the Vikings once again gained a slim advantage at 3-2 as Benjamin Slade posted a 6-4, 7-5 win at the No. 4 spot. Slade was appearing in the singles lineup for the first time this spring, after sitting out singles action during the first four matches due to injury.
Dayton then posted a win at No. 6 singles to even the match at 3-3, forcing the Vikings to claim the final singles match on the court in order to earn the 4-3 victory for the second straight contest.
The final point came down to No. 3 singles, as Luke Phillips battled for a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 victory, notching his second singles win of the spring to clinch the match for the Vikings.
From The Sidelines
"This was another dramatic win for us, and we were once again able to come away victorious, which is a huge credit to how resilient this team has been through the first few weeks of the season. We have had different people stepping up match-after-match, and we haven't had a match yet this season where everyone is clicking at the same time. Once we can start doing that, I believe that we will be able to pick up some great wins this year."
"After starting the match in a bit of a hole following doubles play, Nico and Raul were able to quickly turn the momentum in our favor, as they played some great offensive tennis to pick up two quick points for us. We were playing on some fast courts, so we knew you had to be on target from the start or else you would struggle throughout the match, which was something that Nico and Raul were able to do. Nico played some of his best tennis today, controlling his match from the start, and really not letting his opponent have a chance."
"Having Ben back in the singles lineup was great for us, he gives us another experienced player in the lineup, and gives us depth in singles and doubles. It can be difficult coming back for your first match after sitting out for a bit, but Ben handled everything well and picked up where he left off in the fall."
"Once again, Luke and Clark were the final two matches on the court for us, and Luke was once again able to pull out a tough three-set win to clinch the match. Luke has been so focused when he is on the court this year, he really doesn't let anything affect him or deter him from his game plan. Tonight he was down 0-3 in the third set, but stormed back to win 6-4 for the match victory. I can't wait to see his progression throughout the season." – Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Up Next
· The Vikings will travel to Butler tomorrow (Saturday, February 2), taking on the Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m.
The Results
Doubles (1, 3, 2)
1. Benjamin/Richey (UD) def. Mostardi/Slade (CSU), 6-2
2. Karl/Hills (UD) def. Terry/Teichmann (CSU), 7-6(4)
3. Malm/Phillips (CSU) def. Demarco/Rollhauser (UD), 6-4
Singles (5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3)
1. #113 Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Jordan Benjamin (UD), 6-3, 6-2
2. Langford Hills (UD) def. Matthew Terry (CSU), 6-3, 6-4
3. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Spencer Richey (UD), 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4
4. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Lorenzo Rollhauser (UD), 6-4, 7-5
5. Raul Teichmann (CSU) def. Steven Karl (UD), 6-0, 6-3
6. Joe Demarco (UD) def. Clark Bilinovich (CSU), 7-6(2), 7-5
