SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team began play at the Notre Dame Invitational Friday afternoon, picking up a trio of singles wins and two doubles victories.
"We had a decent first day of play today, we got off to a slow start but hopefully we will be able to rebound and pick up our play tomorrow," assistant coach Frank Polito said. "Everyone seemed a bit rusty when they first got on the courts, but they picked up their level of play throughout their matches. We are facing some tough competition this weekend which is good preparation for the ITA regional, and hopefully we are able to continue a high-level of play throughout the weekend and pick up some good wins."
The Viking trio of Ali Shabib, Matt Ford and Joe VanMeter picked up singles wins on the first day of the Notre Dame Invitational, Shabib in a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Matt Dooley of Notre Dame, Ford in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Michigan State's Paul Heeder, and VanMeter in a 6-4, 6-1 decision over Zachary Phillips of Western Michigan.
Cleveland State had a strong showing in doubles play Friday afternoon, going 2-1 throughout the day. Shabib and VanMeter posted an 8-5 victory over a Notre Dame duo, while Manuel Bellutti and Nolan Marks earned a matching 8-5 victory over a tandem from Western Michigan.
The Vikings will continue play at the Notre Dame Invitational tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 5), with action set to begin at 9:00 a.m.
Singles
Ali Shabib (CSU) def. Matt Dooley (UND), 6-4, 6-3
Michael Fredericka (UND) def. Jorg van der Vloet (CSU), 6-2, 6-5 (1)
Michael Treis (WMU) def. Manuel Bellutti (CSU), 6-4, 6-2
Matt Ford (CSU) def. Paul Heeder (MSU), 6-1, 6-0
Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Zachary Phillips (WMU), 6-4, 6-1
Matthew Hamilton (WMU) def. Nolan Marks (CSU), 5-6 (7), 6-0, 6-3
Eric Bonfre (UL) def. Matt Kuelker (CSU), 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
Shabib/VanMeter (CSU) def. Lawson/Sabacinski (UND), 8-5
Bellutti/Marks (CSU) def. Payne/Beckwith (WMU), 8-5
Treis/Mora (WMU) def. van der Vloet/Ford (CSU), 8-6
