HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Cleveland State men's tennis team began play on their annual Spring Break Trip Sunday afternoon, falling to Hawaii, 4-3. The Vikings are now 5-4 on the spring season.
"This was another close match for us, this team continues to battle and never gives up on a match, fighting until the very end," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We didn't play our best doubles today and we certainly have room for improvement and hopefully that will come over the next two matches on this trip."
The Vikings were able to pick up just one win in doubles action, as the No. 2 team of Mirko Radosevic and Manuel Bellutti posted a 7-6 (5) victory over the Rainbow Warriors.
Jorg van der Vloet continued his winning ways in singles action this spring, as he improved his record to a perfect 9-0 with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles. van der Vloet now stands at 11-7 overall this season – one of three Vikings with double-digit wins.
"Jorg is playing some great tennis right now, and is also serving as a great leader for our team. He is focused every time he steps on the court and is determined to fight until the very end," Etzkin said. "We had chances to pick up wins at multiple singles spots today, but we just weren't able to close some of them out. We will look to continue this tough play throughout our next two matches on this trip, and hopefully we will be able to turn the close matches in our favor."
Bellutti was also able to pick up a singles win Sunday afternoon, earning a 7-5, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles. Bellutti now stands at 13-5 overall this season and owns a 6-2 singles record this spring.
The final point for the Vikings came from Mirko Radosevic at the No. 6 spot, as he posted a 6-4, 6-2 victory to improve to 5-4 in singles play this spring.
Next up for the Vikings will be a contest against Hawaii Pacific on Monday. Make sure to check out the Cleveland State Tennis Blog for daily updates on the Vikings' Spring Break to Hawaii.
Hawaii 4, Cleveland State 3
Doubles:
- Lam/Chan (HAW) def. Shabib/Marks (CSU), 6-2
- Radosevic/Bellutti (CSU) def. Schuhmann/Pinola (HAW), 7-6 (5)
- Albert/Woehrl (HAW) def. VanMeter/Buffington (CSU), 6-3
Singles:
- Nils Schuhmann (HAW) def. Joe VanMeter (CSU), 7-5, 6-2
- Jorg van der Vloet (CSU) def. Carter Lam (HAW), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Felix Albert (HAW) def. Ali Shabib (CSU), 6-3, 6-7 (0), 6-2
- Manuel Bellutti (CSU) def. Marcel Chan (HAW), 7-5, 6-2
- Joakim Pinola (HAW) def. Colton Buffington (CSU), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1
- Mirko Radosevic (CSU) def. Fabian Woehrl (HAW), 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 6, 4, 1, 2, 5, 3
