INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team began the final weekend of regular season play Saturday afternoon, picking up a 6-1 victory at IUPUI.
Cleveland State vs. IUPUI PDF Box Score
From The Sidelines
"This was a really close 6-1 match today, we really had to fight and compete until the very end. I thought we did a good job of handling the noise and energy that IUPUI brought to the match, and the entire team was really focused from start to finish. We played a good doubles point today, although we got off to a slow start in doubles, we rallied and came back to get the key opening point. All of the singles matches were really close today, and we had to battle to come away with the victory. We are happy to move along to UIC for tomorrow's match, and we know we will be in for another good fight tomorrow." – Head coach Brian Etzkin
Match Notes
· 2018 Record: 14-10, 5-1
· Saturday's win at IUPUI marked the third straight victory for the Vikings, as Cleveland State has now recorded three or more straight wins on three occasions this season.
· The Vikings are now 4-2 against IUPUI in the all-time series.
· With his win at No. 4 singles, Benjamin Slade is now tied for 10th on the CSU Singles Wins List, finishing the match with 58 career wins.
· The trio of Nico Mostardi, Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips are now tied for fifth on the CSU Single-Season Wins List, with all three entering tomorrow's match at UIC with 25 singles wins this year.
· Luke Phillips and Benjamin Slade remained perfect in #HLMTEN play this year, as both stand at 6-0 after picking up wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots against IUPUI.
The Points
· For the fifth time in Horizon League play this season the Vikings picked up the doubles point, with Nico Mostardi and Benjamin Slade earning a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles, and William Malm and Luke Phillips picking up a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 spot. Malm and Phillips own a team-best 11 doubles wins this season, and stand at 4-1 against league opponents.
· Matthew Terry picked up the first singles point of the day, earning a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles. Terry is now 25-11 on the year, and 13-8 this spring.
· Benjamin Slade put the Vikings up 3-0 with a win at the No. 4 spot, posting a 6-2, 7-5 straight-set decision. Slade owns a 22-12 overall record this season, including a team-best 16-6 record this spring. With his win against IUPUI, Slade has now won seven of his last eight matches.
· Luke Phillips posted the clinching point for the Vikings, earning a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory at the No. 3 spot. Phillips is tied for the team-lead with a 25-11 record on the year, including a 15-7 record this spring.
· Nico Mostardi added to Cleveland State's win total, posting a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory at the top of the singles lineup. Mostardi improved to 25-7 this year – a team-best – while he is now 13-3 this spring at No. 1 singles.
· Gabriel Evtimov picked up the final singles win on the day, earning a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 5 singles.
Up Next
· Cleveland State will close out the regular season tomorrow (Sunday, April 22), traveling to UIC for a 3:00 p.m. EST contest.
The Results
Doubles
1. Slade/Mostardi (CSU) def. Luetschwager/Weaver (IUPUI), 6-3
2. Malm/Phillips (CSU) def. Budiono/Newis (IUPUI), 6-2
3. Beasley/Esposito (IUPUI) vs. Terry/Santilli (CSU), 5-2, unf.
Singles
1. Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. David Beasley (IUPUI), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2
2. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Jac Newis (IUPUI), 6-3, 6-2
3. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Sean Bailey (IUPUI), 7-6(3), 6-4
4. Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. E. Mardanus-Budiono (IUPUI), 6-2, 7-5
5. Gabriel Evtimov (CSU) def. Eric Hollingsworth (IUPUI), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
6. Bradley Luetschwager (IUPUI) def. William Malm (CSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
