ORLANDO, Fla. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team began its annual Spring Break Trip Saturday afternoon, dropping a 6-1 contest to Army in Orlando, Florida. The Vikings are now 9-6 on the spring season.
"This was our first match outdoors this season, and you could definitely tell that we were just getting used to play outside," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We will definitely grow from this match, and it will pay dividends down the road when we get to league play outdoors. Tomorrow we need to come out and improve on our mental game and continue to improve our outdoor game."
The highlight of the day for Cleveland State came from Joe VanMeter at No. 1 singles, as the senior became the seventh Viking all-time to record 70 career singles victories following a 7-5, 6-4 win at the top of the lineup. VanMeter, who ranks seventh on the CSU Singles Wins List with his 70 career wins, is now just one win shy of moving into sixth place on the list. VanMeter now owns a 12-12 record on the year, including a team-high nine singles wins this spring.
The Vikings were also able to pick up a win at No. 2 doubles against Army, with Colton Buffington and Kevin Goth posting a 6-4 victory. The Viking duo now owns a 3-1 record this spring.
"I thought we had chances in doubles and singles to pick up a few more wins today, we just weren't able to capitalize. We were playing a team that had been outside a few more days than us, which put us a few steps behind. But, that is why we take these Spring Break Trips, to get some outdoor matches in and get the experience of playing in outside conditions," Etzkin said.
Cleveland State will continue its Spring Break Trip tomorrow (Sunday, March 13), facing UCF at 9:00 a.m.
Army 6, Cleveland State 1
Doubles:
1. McCormick/Riechmann (ARMY) def. VanMeter/Mick (CSU), 7-6 (2)
2. Buffington/Goth (CSU) def. Barnes/McCasin (ARMY), 6-4
3. Lampman/Nguyen (ARMY) def. Radosevic/Slade (CSU), 7-5
Singles:
1. Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Sam Lampman (ARMY), 7-5, 6-4
2. Grant Riechmann (ARMY) def. Colton Buffington (CSU), 6-2, 7-5
3. David Mitchell (ARMY) def. Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Kyle Barnes (ARMY) def. Kevin Goth (CSU), 6-4, 2-6, 1-0
5. Michael Nguyen (ARMY) def. Benjamin Slade (CSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
6. Harrison McCormick (ARMY) def. Andre Mick (CSU), 6-4, 6-1
