Men's Tennis Defeats UIC For Third Place

Posted: Apr 25, 2004

April 25, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Cleveland State men's tennis team won a combined six set tiebreak points on their way to defeating UIC, 4-3, in the third-place match of the Horizon League Championship on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Vikings claim the highest finish in a league tournament in school history.

"We didn't get off to a good start in doubles, but we got together as a team and reminded ourselves of the talent we have on the team," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We realized that we had one last chance to roar this season."

The Vikings did just that, as they won all three singles matches that went to three sets. Jay Tee claimed a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) win at No. 2 singles, while Dan Singer picked up a 7-6(8), 6-2 win at No. 4 singles. Paul Haley added a 7-6(4), 6-1 win at No. 5 before Eric Winn clinched the win with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory at the top singles spot.

"I had a lot of team support today, and I really needed it," Winn said. "This was an amazing win for us, and it's huge for the school and the program. We really pulled together as a team, and it feels great."

"I really feel we're forcing our way into the top of the league," Etzkin said. "The progress that we've maed as a team has been tremendous."

Cleveland State was sent to the third-place match after dropping a 4-0 decision to Butler on Saturday evening. The Vikings close out the season with a 13-11 mark, the first winning season since the 1989 team went 18-10.