INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the second time this spring, the Cleveland State men's tennis team has swept the Horizon League weekly awards, as Nico Mostardi claimed Singles Player of the Week accolades, and Matthew Terry and Kade Mindry were named the Doubles Team of the Week.
This marks the second time that Mostardi has earned Singles Player of the Week honors this season – and the 11thon his career – while it also marks the second time for Terry and Mindry to earn Doubles Team of the Week accolades.
Last week, the Vikings posted a 2-1 record, picking up wins over Butler (4-3) and St. Francis (6-1), and dropping a hard fought match at Penn State (4-3). The two wins against Butler and St. Francis kept CSU perfect at the MMTP this season (3-0), while the Vikings moved to 3-2 on the year.
Mostardi went 3-0 at the top of the lineup last week, picking up straight-set wins in all three matches. He opened the week with a 6-2, 6-4 win at Penn State, followed by a 6-0, 6-2 win over Butler and a 6-0, 6-0 win over St. Francis.
"Nico had a very good week of practice and matches, and it's great to see his hard work continuing to pay off for him," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "In every match last week Nico was able to pick up the first singles point for us, which really energized the team. I'm looking forward to seeing what else is to come from Nico as we continue a tough non-league spring slate."
With his three wins, Mostardi moved into a tie for sixth place on the CSU Singles Wins List with 80 career victories. Mostardi is one of just seven Vikings all-time to reach the 80-win milestone, and has a team-best 4-1 record this spring.
Terry and Mindry also posted a perfect 3-0 record on the week, helping CSU pick up the doubles point in all three matches with a trio of wins at the No. 2 spot. The duo earned a 7-6(5) tiebreak victory at Penn State, and then posted a 6-0 win over Butler and a 6-4 win over St. Francis.
"The combination of youth and experience that Kade and Matt have on the courts is creating a super doubles team for us," Etzkin said. "They have been playing some great doubles over the first few weeks of the spring season, and have been a major part in us picking up the doubles point in four of the first five matches. We have another challenging weekend ahead of us, but Kade, Matt, Nico, and the team are focused and excited for the challenge."
So far this spring, Terry and Mindry own a perfect 4-0 doubles record, as Mindry has yet to drop a doubles match after joining the Vikings in January.
The Vikings will return to action with a pair of road matches this weekend, traveling to Xavier on Saturday, February 8 and RV Louisville on Sunday, February 9.
