VALPARAISO, Ind. – Freshman Erich Schuette (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) won the Flight D singles crown to lead the Northern Illinois University men’s tennis team at the Crusader Indoor Invitational, hosted by Valparaiso University, at The Courts of Northwest Indiana. Schuette also paired with sophomore Austin Russell (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) to post a perfect 3-0 mark in doubles action to win Flight B.

“Erich Schuette had a great weekend,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “He played great in doubles and in singles. He won his flight in both and I’m just real proud of his progress and hopefully he can continue to build on it.”

Schuette opened the singles competition with three-straight two-set victories, losing just six total games. The Huskie freshman downed Lucas Bolt of Olivet Nazarene, 6-1, 6-0, Brandon Vurgnick of Cardinal Stritch, 6-0, 6-2 and Austin Hammett of Northwestern Ohio, 6-2, 6-1. Schuette then received a walkover victory over Olivet Nazarene’s Srdja Nikolic in the Flight D final before playing an extra match, dropping a three-set decision, 6-1, 5-7, 10-6, to William East of Cardinal Stritch.

Redshirt junior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley/University of Denver ) also posted a 4-1 singles mark. Marbach opened the tournament by outlasting Olivet Nazarene’s Alfonso Martinez, 3-6, 6-2, 11-9. He then defeated Toledo’s Juan Carranza, 6-4, 7-5 before falling to Bassem El Mekawi of Youngstown State, 6-2, 3-6, 10-7. Following a walkover win over Western Michigan’s Jimmy Beckwith, Marbach closed the weekend with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Danny Oakes from host Valparaiso.

“Eric also played great,” said Fisher. “He had a breakout weekend as well. Austin (Russell) also had a good weekend. He lost two 10-point tiebreakers but he was in position to win both of those matches and is playing at a high-level, so overall it was a good weekend.”

In doubles play, Schuette and Russell opened with a 6-3 victory over Reid Teatsorth and Stephen Miller of Toledo. The Huskie duo then knocked off another MAC foe, beating Western Michigan’s Eric Olivarez and Nick Schnobel before closing the tournament with a 6-2 win over Michael Savaglio and Brian Hickey of Valparaiso to win the Flight B doubles title.

Playing in Flight B singles, Russell won his opening match, 6-2, 6-2 over Caio Barros of Cardinal Stritch, before dropping a pair of tight three-set matches, 6-7, 7-6, 10-7 to Eric Oliverarez of Western Michigan and 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 to Toledo’s Danilo Pejovic

The Huskies will return to action this coming week when they travel to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the ITA Midwest Regional Championship at the University of Notre Dame. The ITA Regional begins on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

NIU Results

Singles
Theo Baudin (Northwestern Ohio) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) 6-4, 6-1
Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Rodolfo Sanchez (Olivet Nazarene) 6-2, 7-5
Omar Espinosa (Toledo) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) 6-1, 6-4
Austin Russell (NIU) def. Caio Barros (Cardinal Stritch) 6-2, 6-2
Eric Olivarez (Western Michigan) def. Austin Russell (NIU) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 10-7
Danilo Pejovic (Toledo) def. Austin Russell (NIU) 6-2, 3-6, 10-5
Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Alfonso Martinez (Olivet Nazarene) 3-6, 6-2, 11-9
Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Juan Carranza (Toledo) 6-4, 7-5
Bassem El Mekawi (Youngstown State) def. Eric Marbach (NIU) 6-2, 3-6, 10-7
Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Jimmy Beckwith (Western Michigan), walkover
Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Danny Oakes (Valpo) 6-4, 6-0
Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Lucas Bolt (Olivet Nazarene) 6-1, 6-0
Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Brandon Vurgnick (Cardinal Stritch) 6-0, 6-2
Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Austen Hammett (Northwestern Ohio) 6-2, 6-1
Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Srdja Nikolic (Olivet Nazarene), walkover
William East (Cardinal Stritch) def. Erich Schuette (NIU) 6-1, 5-7, 10-6

Doubles
Tom Hjertonsson/Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Juan Carranza/Danilo Pejovic (Toledo) 6-2
Julian Childers/Pablo Landa (Illinois) def. Tom Hjertonsson/Eric Marbach (NIU) 6-3
Tom Hjertonsson/Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Yossi Dahan/Bassem El Mekawi (Youngstown State) 6-3
Austin Russell/Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Reid Teatsorth/Stephen Miller (Toledo) 6-3
Austin Russell/Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Eric Olivarez/Nick Schnobel (Western Michigan), 6-4
Austin Russell/Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Michael Savaglio/Brian Hickey (Valpo) 6-2