TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team improved to 17-5 on the season, 3-1 in the Mid-American Conference with a 5-2 road win at Toledo on Saturday. The victory gives NIU a chance to win at least a share of the MAC regular season championship next week at Buffalo.

"It was a great day," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We won the doubles and we won the singles. Toledo is a good team and all of these matches have been so tight and this was another tough battle. We are in the tournament for sure and we have a chance to win the regular season next week. The guys did a good job of stepping up today."

Freshman Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) and senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit) were 6-3 winners over Garrett Cona and Mark Singnil at number two doubles while junior Simon Formont (Orléans, France/Lycée Camille Claudel) and sophomore Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe) also tallied a 6-3 win at number three as the Huskies took the 1-0 lead.

"Carlos (Manzanas) did great today, he play really well in doubles with Simon (Formont) and he was one of the first two off in singles, winning convincingly," said Fisher. "Georg (Lundkvist) did a great job of handling his business and then Fred (Cadieux), our senior, got the fourth point to clinch in for us.

"We won four first sets and we went up 3-0 really fast, but then Toledo won two matches. Fred was down 1-4 in the second set and it looked like it was going to come down to 4-3 again but Fred battled his way back and did was he does. He has won every which-way you can possibly win and I'm excited for these guys that next week they can play for a trophy."

Manzanas and freshman Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) cruised to singles wins at five and six. Manzanas was a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Roberto Meza at number five while Lundkvist posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Stephen Miller at number six.

After the next two singles matches to finish went to the Rockets, Cadieux's 6-2, 6-4 win over Singnil at number two clinched the victory for NIU. Hamel finished the win with a three-set, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, triumph over Nicky Wong at number three.

The Huskies will close the regular season next Sunday, April 19, at Buffalo before hosting the Mid-American Conference Championship on April 24-25.


NIU 5, Toledo 2

Doubles
1. Omar Espinosa/Stjepan Sisko (TOL) vs. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Louis-Philippe Hamel/Frederic Cadieux (NIU) def. Garrett Cona/Mark Singnil (TOL) 6-3
3. Simon Formont/Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Roberto Meza/Nicky Wong (TOL) 6-3

Singles
1. Stjepan Sisko (TOL) def. Simon Formont (NIU) 7-6, 6-3
2. Frederic Cadieux (NIU) def. Mark Singnil (TOL) 6-2, 6-4
3. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Nicky Wong (TOL) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
4. Omar Espinosa (TOL) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Roberto Meza (TOL) 6-0, 6-3
6. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Stephen Miller (TOL) 6-1, 6-1