JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team opened up its annual spring break trip Sunday afternoon, dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision at North Florida.
"Despite the loss, this might have been our best tennis of the year," head coach Brian Etzkin said. " We were a couple points from victory and although it definitely stings, I'm proud of what we did on the court and happy to see the team surge forward today. We will learn from today and get ready for the next match."
After dropping the doubles point, the Vikings were able to even the match to begin singles play, as a 7-5, 6-3 victory from Kade Mindry at the No. 4 spot evened the match at 1-1. Cleveland State then added to its lead with a win at No. 3 singles, as Raul Teichmann posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory to put the Vikings up 2-1.
Teichmann's win marked the 49th of his career, as he is closing in on joining teammate Maxime Mareschal-Hay with 50 career singes wins.
UNF then answered with a win at No. 5 singles to tie the match once again, before Maxime Mareschal-Hay gave the Vikings a 3-2 edge with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory at the top of the lineup.
Mareschal-Hay and Teichmann both now have a team-best 16 singles wins on the season.
Despite holding the advantage with two matches left on court, the Vikings weren't able to close out the match, as the Ospreys picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 6 singles to capture the 4-3 victory.
Cleveland State will play one more match on its spring break trip, facing UAB in a neutral site match on Tuesday, March 14 in Jacksonville, Fla.
