UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team returned to action Friday evening, dropping a 6-1 match at Big Ten opponent Penn State.

Friday's match marked the fifth straight road contest for the Vikings to begin the spring season, while Penn State was the second Big Ten opponent during this stretch.

"The spirit of the team today was awesome, after a full day of travel and hitting the courts against a tough opponent, they kept their energy up and we had one of the best team days of the year," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "If we keep bringing this level of energy throughout the season, we will now doubt have something special by the end of the year."

Despite dropping the early doubles point, Cleveland State's No. 3 doubles team of Hugo Chatras and Austin Staiger was able to pick up a 6-4 victory, marking the duo's first win of the spring campaign.

Maxime Mareschal-Hay put the Vikings on the board in singles action, as he claimed a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the top of the singles lineup. This win marked Mareschal-Hay's second singles win of the spring season, while he now stands at 11-9 overall this year. 

"Max got a great win for us at No. 1 singles against a tough Big Ten opponent, and he was playing as the best version of himself today, which was great to see. I thought Austin took a good step forward in his progress, while Hugo led the team with what he was doing on the court after a win at No. 3 doubles and a tough three-set match in singles," Etzkin said.

The Vikings will return to the court tomorrow, facing Dartmouth at 1:00 p.m. in University Park, Pa.