PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team closed out its season-opening seven-match roadswing Sunday evening, earning a 6-1 victory at Duquesne. With the win, the Vikings now stand at 3-4 overall this season.
PDF BOX SCORE | Cleveland State 6, Duquesne 1
Quick Hits
· After picking up a straight-set win at No. 2 singles, Matthew Terry now owns a team-best 13-7 singles record this year, and is just nine wins shy of becoming the 15th Viking all-time with 50 career wins.
· With his win at the top of the singles lineup, Nico Mostardi is just three wins shy of earning a spot on the CSU Singles Wins List, currently owning 57 career victories.
· Luke Phillips now has a team-best 4-1 singles record this spring following his fourth straight three-set victory at No. 3 singles.
· The Vikings are now 12-2 all-time against Duquesne under head coach Brian Etzkin, and have now won seven straight against the Dukes.
· Sunday's match marked the final contest of a seven-match roadswing for the Vikings over the first four weeks of the spring season.
The Match
For the first time this season the Vikings were able to get out to the early 1-0 start, picking up the doubles point with wins at the top two spots. At No. 1 doubles, Benjamin Slade and Nico Mostardi cruised to a 6-1 victory, while Raul Teichmann and Luke Phillips earned a 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles.
Clark Bilinovich then gave the Vikings a 2-0 lead after picking up a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles, before Duquesne was able to get on the board with a win at the No. 4 spot.
The Vikings responded with a 6-1, 7-5 win from Matthew Terry at No. 2 singles, while Raul Teichmann clinched the match for the Vikings with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win at the No. 5 spot.
The final two points of the day came from Nico Mostardi at No. 1 singles (6-4, 4-6, 6-2), and Luke Phillips at No. 3 singles (5-7, 6-2, 6-2), with Phillips earning his fourth straight singles win, as the Vikings captured the 6-1 match victory.
From The Sidelines
"This was a good win for us against a good team, and I thought we fought really hard throughout doubles and singles to come away victorious. There was a great green & white crowd on hand for the match, which was awesome, and I'm happy that we were able to feed off of their energy and get the win."
"We were finally able to win the doubles point today, which was great because we worked really hard on our doubles throughout practice last week, so I'm glad to see all of their hard work paying off."
"In singles, we were able to win all three three-set matches, which is huge for us moving forward and our confidence on the court. Raul was able to pick up his first clincher for us, playing a solid match on his court, while Luke and Nico played steady tennis to pull out their three-set victories." – Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Up Next
· Cleveland State will finally play at home for the first time during the 2019 spring season next weekend, hosting a trio of matches – Binghamton (Saturday, February 16), St. Bonaventure (Sunday, February 17) and Oberlin (Sunday, February 17).
The Results
Doubles (1, 2, 3)
1. Slade/Mostardi (CSU) def. Corrao/Bendel (DUQ), 6-1
2. Teichmann/Phillips (CSU) def. Akins/Conron (DUQ), 7-5
3. Isaacs/Mascioli (DUQ) def. Bilinovich/Terry (CSU), 7-6
Singles (6, 4, 2, 5, 1, 3)
1. Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Chris Corrao (DUQ), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
2. Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Drew Akins (DUQ), 6-1, 7-5
3. Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Alex Mascioli (DUQ), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
4. Jared Isaacs (DUQ) def. Benjamin Slade (CSU), 7-5, 6-2
5. Raul Teichmann (CSU) def. A. Rodriguez-Vidal (DUQ), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6. Clark Bilinovich (CSU) def. Joey Matthews (DUQ), 6-0, 6-1
