ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men’s tennis team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end on Friday as the Huskies lost, 4-3, to Butler at Boylan Tennis Center. NIU took the doubles point but was only able to win two singles matches against the Bulldogs.

“This was another game that went all the way down to the wire, unfortunately it wasn't us that came out on top this time,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “Our guys fought really hard and we had many chances to win, but when we went ahead we played passive and that cost us. Butler is a great team we knew that and they earned it. Tomorrow we can start a new winning streak, it's on to the next one starting with SIU Edwardsville and Western Illinois.”

NIU took the doubles point as sophomores Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) and Kevin Daun (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) claimed a 6-4 win at number two and sophomores Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) and Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) took a 6-0 win at three.

The singles matches proved to be extremely tight as three of the six needed three sets. Lundkvist earned a 6-4, 6-4 straight-sets win over Alex Woldmoe at number four and junior Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe) outlasted Mikheil Khmiadashvili at number one, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Butler took the other four singles matches however, including three-set wins at two and five, to end the NIU win streak.

The Huskies will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 20, when they host SIU Edwardsville and Western Illinois at the Boylan Tennis Center. NIU will open the day against the Cougars at 2 p.m., before taking on the Leathernecks at 6 p.m.


Butler 4, NIU 3

Doubles
1. Carlos Manzanas/Austin Russell (NIU) vs. Mikheil Khmiadashvili/Mason Dragos (Butler) 5-4, unfinished
2. Georg Lundkvist/Kevin Daun (NIU) def. Ari Gerstein/Alex Woldmoe (Butler), 6-4
3. Tom Hjertonsson/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Spencer Lang/Adrian Mag (Butler), 6-0

Singles
1. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Mikheil Khmiadashvili (Butler), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. Mason Dragos (Butler) def. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3. Ari Gerstein (Butler) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Georg Lundkvist (NIU) def. Alex Woldmoe (Butler), 6-4, 6-4
5. Adrian Mag (Butler) def. Kevin Daun (NIU), 6-7, 7-5, 6-2
6. Spencer Lang (Butler) def. Austin Russell (NIU), 6-1, 6-4