March 21, 2010

Final Stats

ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Northern Illinois completed a 3-0 weekend, and improved to 9-7 on the season, with back-to-back 7-0 dual match wins over Aurora University and Rockford College at the Forest City Tennis Center in Rockford Saturday afternoon.

"It was good to wrap-up our non-conference schedule with three wins this weekend," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We have now equaled our entire win total from last season, and our guys are playing with confidence.

"We'll take these next two weeks to get ready for the third phase of our season, MAC play, which is obviously the most important. We have six matches to get ready for the conference tournament, and we'll look to continue to improve each time out." The Huskies cruised to the doubles point against Aurora, dropping just one game. Mikhail Titov and Roman Turtygin, teaming at No. 1 doubles, along with Javier Bernabe and Greg Czajkowski at No. 3, both posted 8-0 pro-set wins. Maksym Bartiuk and Maximilian Phillips defeated Aurora's Cameron Wisniowicz and Andrew Prince in the second doubles flight, 8-1.

The Huskies dropped just three total games in singles play. Bartiuk (No. 1), Turtygin (No. 3) and Czajkowski all posted 6-0, 6-0 wins. John Kuang, seeing his first action of the season as the Huskies' No. 6 singles player, recorded a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Aurora's David Grey.

Northern Illinois recorded an even more convincing win over Rockford College, by not dropping a single game in doubles or singles play. Bartiuk got a break, and the Huskies' singles lineup went into the books as follows: Titov at No. 1, Bernabe at second singles, Turtygin at No. 3, Phillips at fourth singles, Czajkowski at No. 5 and Kuang at No. 6.

Northern Illinois open Mid-American Conference play versus Chicago State on April 3 in the Windy City.