CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team extended its current win streak to 10 straight matches Saturday, picking up a 7-0 victory over Northern Kentucky. With the win, the Vikings are now 13-4 overall this season, and the only remaining undefeated team in Horizon League play, standing at 5-0.
Saturday's win also extended Cleveland State's Horizon League regular season win streak to 15 straight matches, which dates back to the 2017-18 campaign.
"This was a quality league win today, Senior Day was a success and we are so appreciative of NKU joining us for our presentation prior to the match," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Our No. 2 doubles team came back from two breaks down to win – and we needed their win today – which was a great comeback to put us on the board early. We were then able to put six first sets on the board in singles, and were able to play from ahead, and the guys did a good job of focusing all the way until the end of the match. Hopefully we will be able to carry some of this momentum into tomorrow's match, and continue our winning ways."
For the 15th time this season the Vikings were able to pick up the doubles point, earning wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to gain the early 1-0 advantage. Clark Bilinovich and Kade Mindry earned a 6-3 win at the No. 3 spot, while Matthew Terry and Maxime Mareschal-Hay picked up a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot to clinch the point.
Terry and Mareschal-Hay were able to give the Vikings a pair of quick singles wins, Terry posting a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles and Mareschal-Hay earning a 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 3 spot.
Terry's win kept him in a tie for third place on the CSU Singles Wins List with 88 career wins, while it also kept him perfect in Horizon League play this year, standing at 5-0. Mareschal-Hay's win gave him 13 wins on the year – tied for the team-lead.
Luke Phillips then clinched the match for the Vikings with a win at No. 4 singles, as he posted a 6-1, 7-5 victory to keep the Vikings perfect in Horizon League play this season. With his win, Phillips remained perfect in league play at 5-0, and improved to 13-3 this season.
The Vikings then added on to their lead with a pair of wins at the No. 6 and No. 5 spots, as JuandeDios Abboud picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles and Bilinovich earned a 6-2, 7-5 win at the No. 5 spot. Bilinovich's win marked his seventh straight singles victory, while it also put him at 3-0 in league play this season.
Nico Mostardi posted the team's final singles point of the day at the top of the lineup, earning a 7-5, 6-1 victory to give the Vikings their fourth sweep of the 2021 campaign. With the win, Mostardi remained perfect in league play at 3-0, while it also kept him tied for third on the CSU Singles Wins List with 88 career victories.
The Vikings will close out their 2021 home slate tomorrow (Sunday, April 17), hosting Northern Kentucky at 2:00 p.m.
