April 28, 2005

MEN'S COLLEGIATE TENNIS---Northern Illinois University vs. University of Toledo / at Kalamazoo, MI / Mid-American Conference Tournament - Quarterfinals / Thursday / April 28, 2005

(#4-SEED) NORTHERN ILLINOIS 4, (#5-SEED) TOLEDO 1

Singles:
1. Willy Gali (NIU) def. Josh Moran (UT) 6-1, 6-1
2. Erick Martinez (NIU) vs. Tony Tran (UT) unfinished
3. Mark Tate (NIU) def. Freddy Gomez (UT) 6-0, 6-2
4. Alex Friesen (NIU) def. Travis Curran (UT) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
5. Chris Clark (UT) def. Adam Ford (NIU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Diego Zegarra-Ballon (NIU) vs. Christobal Toral (UT) unfinished

Doubles:
1. Willy Gali/Mark Tate (NIU) def. Travis Curran/Tony Tran (UT) 9-8 (7-5)
2. Erick Martinez/Alex Friesen (NIU) def. Freddy Gomez/Christobal Toral (UT) 8-3
3. Josh Moran/Brian Rager (UT) def. Adam Ford/Diego Zegarra-Ballon (NIU) 8-6

Records: Northern Illinois now 13-9 overall / Toledo now 8-14 overall
Next Match: Thursday-Saturday, April 28-30 / NIU at Mid-American Conference Tournament / Kalamazoo, MI
Friday, April 28 / #4 NIU vs. #1 Ball State University / Semifinals / 10:00 a.m. (EDT)

Huskie Men's Tennis advances to Semifinals of MAC Tournament with 4-1 victory over Toledo
KALAMAZOO, MI - A gutsy doubles victory by Willy Gali and Mark Tate in the No. 1 spot kickstarted the Northern Illinois University men's tennis team and spurred the Huskies to a 4-1 win over the University of Toledo in quarterfinal action at the Mid-American Conference Tournament Thursday (Apr. 28).

After the two squads split the first two doubles matches of the day, Gali (Barcelona, Spain, Ies Avsias March) and Tate (The Woodlands, TX / Oak Ridge) got locked up in a dogfight for the tandem point with Travis Curran and Tony Tran in the No. 1 spot. When the duos battled to an 8-8 deadlock, a tiebreaker went into effect, and the Huskie pairing was able to escape, winning the extra set 7-5 to secure the first team point of the day for NIU.

The momentum carried over as three of the top four players in the Huskie singles lineup posted straight-set victories to lock up the meet. Gali continued his winning ways, earning his 21st consecutive solo victory with a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Josh Moran at No. 1. Tate also notched an impressive win, topping Freddy Gomez 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2.

"We played pretty well today," NIU head coach Pontus Hiort said. "We did a good job keeping our focus scoring big points when we absolutely had to."

UT tried to mount a comeback behind Chris Clark, who took home a two-set victory of his own in the No. 5 spot, but true freshman Alex Friesen (Vancouver, British Columbia / Burnaby Central Secondary) proved to be the difference. Friesen's 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 win over Curran at No. 4 sealed the match and sent the Huskies on to the semifinals.

NIU will play in the MAC semis for the fourth consecutive season, meeting up with No. 1 seed Ball State University for the second straight year. The Huskies and Cardinals hooked up for one of the most exciting meets of last year's MAC Tournament when, after losing the doubles point, NIU bounced back to win at each of the top four singles flights to upset BSU and advance to the league championship match. First serve of this year's edition of the ongoing rivalry is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT).

-NIU-