CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team suffered its second-straight setback as the Huskies fell, 4-0, at Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon. With the defeat, NIU now stands at 9-4 on the season. 

"It was a disappointing loss today," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We knew if we could get to the bottom part of SIU's line-up we would have a great chance at winning today and we needed the doubles point. We had eight match points in doubles to clinch the point and we didn't get it done. Tomorrow is another test against ISU, the last two years have been 4-3 matches when we have played against them."

NIU took the match at number one singles as junior Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) and senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley/University of Denver) defeated Michal Kianicka and Daniel Martinez, 6-2. Southern Illinois took the match at number three, 6-2, and it came down to number two where SIU's Alex Pozo and Piotr Baranski outlasted junior Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) and junior Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium), 7-6. 

In the singles, Wilder Pimentel defeated Lundkvist, 6-1, 6-2 at number two and Kianicka also won in straight-sets, 6-2, 6-2 over senior Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe). 

SIU (6-1) clinched the dual victory when Baranski outlasted Marbach in three sets at number one. The singles matches at four, five and six were not completed with the dual result claimed by the Salukis. 

NIU will conclude its weekend long road trip on Sunday, Feb. 26, when the Huskies visit Illinois State. 

Southern Illinois 4, NIU 0

Doubles
1. Lundkvist/Marbach (NIU) def. Kianicka/Martinez (SIU), 6-2
2. Pozo/ Baranski (SIU) def. Hamel/Hjertonsson (NIU), 7-6
3. Pimentel/Pun (SIU) def. Manzanas/Russell (NIU), 6-2

Singles
1. Piotr Baranski (SIU) def. Eric Marbach (NIU), 6-7, 7-5, 6-1
2. Wilder Pimentel (SIU) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-1, 6-2
3. Michal Kianicka (SIU) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Alex Pozo (SIU) vs. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU), 6-0, 3-2, unfinished
5. Peter Molloy (SIU) vs. Louis Hamel (NIU), 2-6, 0-1, unfinished
6. Param Pun (SIU) vs. Austin Russell (NIU), did not play