BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – After dropping the doubles point, the Northern Illinois University men's tennis team rebounded to win four of the six singles matches to edge Binghamton, 4-3, on Sunday, sweeping the season series against the Bearcats. With the win, NIU improves to 14-6 overall and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference matches. 

"This place is so tough to play at, it's never easy and Binghamton plays so hard, we knew it would be dog fight," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We gave away doubles again and if we think we're going to be a championship-caliber team we have to fix that. On a positive note, our guys never give up, we came back again down 2-3, our seniors really stepped up big in singles and I thought that is what swung things our way today."

The Bearcats took the doubles point with a pair of wins in tiebreakers. Freshman Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) and senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) claimed a 7-5 win at number two but Binghamton earned 7-6 wins at both one and three to take the point. 

In singles, senior Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) was a comfortable winner, 6-4, 6-2, over Sebastian Quiros while Binghamton scored a 6-4, 6-4 win at number two. 

After edging a tight first set, 7-5, sophomore Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) comfortably took the second, and the match at number five, 6-1, over Inigo Saez.

Binghamton claimed a three-set victory at number one but senior Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) outlasted Alejandro Pena at number six, 7-5, 6-4, and senior Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) won a second set tiebreak to down Tiago Lourenco, 6-3, 7-6, at number three as the Huskies came from behind to top the Bearcats. 

NIU will return home for the final two matches of conference play, beginning on Friday, April 13, when the Huskies host Toledo. 

NIU 4, Binghamton 3

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

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