ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 6-1 win over Binghamton on Friday afternoon at Boylan Tennis Center. With the victory, the Huskies improved to 11-5 overall.

Playing for the first time in 15 days, NIU claimed the doubles point to take the early lead and then won five of the six singles matches.

"The week (off) gave us a chance to get healthy, because we had been banged up and it was good to play with a full deck," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "I think we were a little rusty to start, but once we got going, we got the result we wanted. The match was a lot closer than 6-1, but our guys did a good job of getting control of their matches and once we did finished it out."

Seniors Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) and Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) were 6-1 winners at number three over Ludovico Cestarollo and Sebastian Quiros while senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and freshman Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) clinched the point with a 6-4 victory over Inigo Saez and Alejandro Pena at number two.

In singles, Marbach was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Cestarollo at number two while Hjertonsson earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Pena at number six. Binghamton earned a win at number three in the only other singles match to finish in straight-sets.

At number one, Ortega rebounded from dropping the first set to down Tiago Lourenco, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 while sophomore Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) also fell behind a set before winning in three, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, over Inigo Saez at number five.

In the final match to finish, Hamel also in a three-set victory, downing Sebastian Quiros, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7, at number four.

NIU will close the weekend on Sunday, March 18, as it hosts Ball State at Boylan Tennis Center in Rockford.

"Ball State is good," said Fisher. "They have beaten two teams that we have lost to (Xavier and Cleveland State). They are well-coached, they have a good team and they have 10 wins. It is not going to be easy."

NIU 6, Binghamton 1

Singles
1. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Tiago Lourenco (Bing), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
2. Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Ludovico Cestarollo (Bing), 6-2, 6-4
3. Kushaan Nath (Bing) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 7-5, 6-1
4. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Sebastian Quiros (Bing), 5-7, 6-3, 10-7
5. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Inigo Saez (Bing), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Alejandro Pena (Bing), 6-3, 6-4

Doubles
1. Georg Lundkvist/Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) vs. Kushaan Nath/Tiago Lourenco (Bing), 5-3 unfinished
2. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Inigo Saez/Alejandro Pena (Bing), 6-4
3. Louis-Philippe Hamel/Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Ludovico Cestarollo/Sebastian Quiros (Bing), 6-1