CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team played their final non-league match of the season Saturday, as the shorthanded Vikings earned a 5-2 victory over Case Western. With the win, the Vikings now stand at 13-7 overall this season.
PDF BOX SCORE | Cleveland State 5, Case Western 2
Quick Hits
· Clark Bilinovich picked up his team-leading 24th singles win of the season with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 4 singles against Case.
· With a 6-3, 6-2 win at the top of the lineup, Matthew Terry notched his 19th singles win this year and picked up his 47th career victory.
· Luke Phillips earned a 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot, picking up the 42nd singles win of his career.
· Following a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles, Benjamin Slade recorded the 75th singles win of his career, becoming the sixth Viking all-time to eclipse 75 career wins.
· Saturday's win over Case marked the 248th career victory for head coach Brian Etzkin.
The Match
For the ninth time this season the Vikings were able to get out to the early 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point, earning matching 6-1 victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Against Case, Luke Phillips and Matthew Terry played at the No. 1 spot, while Nico Mostardi and Clark Bilinovich were in the lineup at the No. 3 spot.
Since the Vikings were playing with a shorthanded roster, Case Western was able to pick up a default win at the No. 6 spot, knotting the score at 1-1 as singles play began.
Although the Vikings were able to gain a 2-1 advantage following a 6-3, 6-2 win from Luke Phillips at No. 2 singles, Case was able to once again tie the score at 2-2 after picking up a win at the No. 5 spot.
Matthew Terry then gave the Vikings a 3-1 lead after picking up a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the top of the singles lineup, and then a 6-3, 7-5 victory from Clark Bilinovich at the No. 4 spot clinched the match for Cleveland State.
The final point for the Vikings came from Benjamin Slade at the No. 3 spot, as he earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory helping the Vikings notch their fourth straight win as they improved to 7-2 at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion this season.
From The Sidelines
"The depth of our lineup was once again the key to the match today, we had people playing up a few spots in the lineup because of injury, and they were all ready for the task. We were able to get off to a good start following some sharp doubles play, which is something that we are continually working on in practice. It was good for us to play this match against a really good team in Case Western that plays with a lot of energy and determination, it will definitely prepare us for our last four league matches as we close out the regular season." – head coach Brian Etzkin
Up Next
· Cleveland State will hit the road for a two-match roadswing next weekend, traveling to Northern Kentucky (Saturday, April 13) and Wright State (Sunday, April 14).
The Results
Doubles (1, 3)
1. Phillips/Terry (CSU) def. Powell/Kanam (CWRU), 6-1
2. Slade/Malm (CSU) vs. Chen/Hennessey (CWRU), 4-3, unf.
3. Mostardi/Bilinovich (CSU) def. Aduru/Umen (CWRU), 6-1
Singles (2, 5, 1, 4, 3)
1. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Matthew Chen (CWRU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Aaron Umen (CWRU), 6-3, 6-2
3. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Anthony Kanam (CWRU), 6-3, 6-4
4. Clark Bilinovich (CSU) def. Sam Concannon (CWRU), 6-3, 7-5
5. Jonathan Powell (CWRU) def. William Malm (CSU), 6-3, 6-3
6. Chaitanya Aduru (CWRU) win by forfeit