DEKALB, Ill. -- Five of the six singles matches went to three sets but Buffalo took four of those five matches as the Bulls earned a 6-1 victory over the Northern Illinois University men's tennis team in the regular season finale on Friday afternoon. NIU finishes the regular season with a 15-7 overall record, 5-2 in Mid-American Conference play. 

"Buffalo was just tougher than us, plain and simple," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "The scores show that, we had a lot of close matches, but we didn't win enough of them to win four points and that's what it came down to. They were just tougher than us, period."

Buffalo (11-9, 4-2 MAC) claimed a 6-1 victory through Vidit Vaghela and Petr Vodak at number one doubles to open the day. The other two doubles matches came down to the wire but the Bulls pulled out a 7-5 win at number two with Villhelm Fridell and Hao Sheng Koay to take the point. 

In singles, the only match to finish in two sets came at number four where Vodak earned a 6-3, 6-4 win for the Bulls. 

At number five, sophomore Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) responded from dropping the first set, 7-6, to Nickolas Frisk with a 6-4 win in the second, but Frisk came back to take the third, 6-3. Senior Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) evened his match at number six with a 7-5 second set win over Vaghela before falling in the third, 6-1. 

The matches at one, two and three were even tighter as a 7-5 third set win gave senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) a victory over Fridell at number two and Buffalo's Ethan Nittolo won with an identical 7-5 score in the third set at number three. 

In the final match to finish at number one, Hao Sheng Koay and freshman Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) traded the opening two sets before Sheng Koay claimed the third, 7-6, in a tiebreaker. 

"We are probably going to play these guys again (in the MAC Tournament)," said Fisher. "So we have a week to look at ourselves and change some things. We still haven't figured out doubles, that hurt us, and if we are going to beat Buffalo we have to play better in doubles and we have to show more courage."

Next weekend, the Huskies will head to Buffalo for the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, April 27 with the championship match set to take place on Saturday, April 28. 

Buffalo 6, NIU 1

Singles 
1. Hao Sheng Koay (UB) def. Kristopher Ortega (NIU), 2-6, 7-5, 7-6
2. Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Villhelm Fridell (UB), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Ethan Nittolo (UB) def. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
4. Petr Vodak (UB) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-3, 6-4
5. Nickolas Frisk (UB) def. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU), 7-6, 4-6, 6-3
6. Vidit Vaghela    (UB) def. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1

Doubles
1. Vidit Vaghela/Petr Vodak (UB) def. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU), 6-1
2. Villhelm Fridell/Hao Sheng Koay (UB) def. Georg Lundkvist/Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU), 7-5
3. Louis-Philippe Hamel/Victor Spolidorio (NIU) vs. Matthew Johnson/Ethan Nittolo (UB), 6-5 unfinished