CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team opened up a three-match homestand to close out the regular season Friday afternoon, picking up a 6-1 victory over UIC. With the win, the Vikings now stand at 11-10 overall this year and 5-1 in Horizon League matches.
"I thought this was a gutsy win for us, it was another match where the level of both teams was really high and we were able to persevere through the tough moments and come out victorious," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Austin jumped into the doubles lineup on short notice today and helped us get the early doubles point, while Mikael stepped into the top singles spot on short notice and a did a great job with a gutsy win. I'm excited about where this team is at this point in the year, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's match against IUPUI."
For the seventh straight match – and sixth time in league play – the Vikings were able to pick up the early doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Clark Bilinovich and Raul Teichmann teamed up for a 6-3 win at the top of the lineup, while Mikael Erler and Austin Staiger posted a 6-4 win at No. 3 doubles.
With their win at No. 1 doubles, Bilinovich and Teichmann remained perfect in league matches, improving to 5-0 on the year.
Teichmann quickly gave Cleveland State a 2-0 advantage to begin singles play then, picking up a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the No. 5 spot.
Although the Flames were able to get on the board with a win at No. 6 singles, Kade Mindry responded with a 6-2, 7-5 victory at No. 2 singles to put the Vikings up 3-1. Mindry's win marked his team-leading 22nd of the season.
Cleveland State's clinching point then came from Bilinovich at the No. 3 spot, as he earned a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory to give the Vikings their fourth straight win. With the win, Bilinovich now owns a team-best 6-0 record against league opponents.
Erler was able to add to Cleveland State's lead with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win at the top of the lineup, before JuandeDios Abboud picked up the final point of the day with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles.
With his win at No. 1 singles, Erler improved to 17-11 overall this year, and remained perfect against league opponents at 4-0 this spring.
The Vikings will continue their weekend homestand against IUPUI tomorrow (Saturday, April 16), with first serve set for 10:00 a.m. inside the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion.
