DEKALB, Ill. – Playing its first two matches in Chick Evans Field House, the Northern Illinois University men’s tennis team claimed victories over Detroit, 4-3, and UW Whitewater, 7-0, on Sunday afternoon to improve to 2-1 on the season.

“Georg (Lundkvist) and Tom (Hjertonsson) are playing really well right now,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “Louis (Hamel) is also starting to play well. What was nice today was that we got stronger as the day went on. It was a long day, playing two matches back-to-back, and we have a ways to go. We played shorthanded this weekend, but that gave some guys an opportunity.”

In the first match of the day against Detroit, NIU claimed the doubles point after a 7-6 victory at number one for sophomores Kevin Daun (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) and Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) over Patryk Koscielski and Nathan Ponton.

The Huskies and Titans split the first two doubles matches to finish as sophomores Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) and Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) were 6-2 winners at number two while Detroit claimed a 6-3 win at number three.

In the singles, Detroit picked up the first point with a victory by Koscielski at number one, but the Huskies won the next three matches to finish to clinch the victory.

Hjertonsson was a 6-4, 7-6 winner over Rafael Orantes at number three and Hamel claimed a 6-4, 7-5 win at number two over Ponton. Lundkvist then claimed the deciding point for the Huskies with a 6-0, 6-4 win at number four over Kacper Stelmaszak.

Detroit won the final two matches at five and six to cut the final tally to 4-3.

NIU also took the doubles point in the second match of the day, winning the matches at two and three. Hjertonsson and Hamel were 6-3 winners over Rithwik Rajshekhar Raman and Miguel Monge at number two while freshman Erich Schuette (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and junior Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe) topped Brandon Dechter and Rory Calabria at number three, 6-2.

The Huskies made a clean sweep of the singles matches, winning all six in straight sets. Manzanas was a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Michael Treis at number one for his first dual match win of the season. Daun and Schuette also won for the first time in dual match play; Daun collected a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Calabria at number five and Schuette was a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Michael Schnarr at six.

Hjertonsson and Lundkvist both moved to 3-0 on the season with wins at three and four. Hjertonsson earned a 6-3, 6-0 win over Zane Navratil at three and Lundkvist recorded a 6-4, 6-0 triumph at four over Matt Bisbee. Hamel claimed his second victory with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Raman at number two.

NIU will return to action next Friday, Jan. 29, when the Huskies face UIC at Vaughn Tennis Center in Aurora. The match with the Flames is scheduled for 4 p.m.

NIU 4, Detroit 3

Doubles
1. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Patryk Koscielski/Nathan Ponton (Detroit), 7-6
2. Tom Hjertonsson/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Ismail Kadyrov/Rafael Orantes (Detroit), 6-2
3. Chance Conley/Griffin Mertz (Detroit) def. Erich Schuette/Carlos Manzanas (NIU), 6-3

Singles
1. Patryk Koscielski (Detroit) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU), 7-6, 6-4
2. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Nathan Ponton (Detroit), 6-4, 7-5
3. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Rafael Orantes (Detroit), 6-4, 7-6
4. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Kacper Stelmaszak (Detroit), 6-0, 6-4
5. Nicholas Solarewicz (Detroit) def. Kevin Daun (NIU), 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
6. Adam Zychowicz (Detroit) def. Erich Schuette (NIU), 6-1, 7-5

NIU 7, UW Whitewater 0

Doubles
1. Michael Treis/Scott Butler (UWW) def. Kevin Daun/Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-4
2. Tom Hjertonsson/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Rithwik Rajshekhar Raman/Miguel Monge (UWW), 6-3
3. Erich Schuette/Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Brandon Dechter/Rory Calabria (UWW), 6-2

Singles
1. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Michael Treis (UWW), 6-1, 6-1
2. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Rithwik Rajshekhar Raman (UWW), 6-3, 6-1
3. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Zane Navratil (UWW), 6-3, 6-0
4. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Matt Bisbee (UWW), 6-4, 6-0
5. Kevin Daun (NIU) def. Rory Calabria (UWW), 6-2, 7-6
6. Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Michael Schnarr (UWW), 7-5, 6-1