DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team dropped a pair of matches at Omaha on Friday, falling to the Mavericks 4-1 in the afternoon match and 4-3 in the evening match. 

In the first match of the day, freshman David Pata (Bucharest, Romania) scored the only win of the day for the Huskies, topping Davis Lawley, 6-3, 7-5, at number three singles. Pata and senior Erich Schuette (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) also earned a 7-6 doubles victory over Matt Dunn and Ethan Henry, but the Mavericks won the other two doubles matches to take the point. 

NIU claimed the doubles point in the second match of the day. Pata and Schuette again defeated Dunn and Henry, 6-1. Senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and sophomore Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) earned a victory at number one, 6-4 over Razvan Grigorescu and Lawley while sophomore Victor Spolidorio (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) and freshman Mikko Malinen (Malmo, Sweden) scored a 6-2 win over Abdoul Ouattara and Nathan Reekie

In singles in match two, Pata once again downed Lawley at number three, 7-5, 6-3, and Malinen topped Dunn, 7-6, 6-2, but the Mavericks won the other four matches, three of which came in three sets, to earn the dual match sweep. 

NIU will conclude action for the weekend on Sunday afternoon, January 27, when the Huskies visit Wisconsin. 

Match 1: Omaha 4, NIU 1
Singles 
1. Abdoul Ouattara (OMAHA) def. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
2. Razvan Grigorescu (OMAHA) vs. Eric Marbach (NIU) 2-6, 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
3. David Pata (NIU) def. Davis Lawley (OMAHA) 6-3, 7-5
4. Nathan Reekie (OMAHA) def. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Matt Dunn (OMAHA) vs. Mikko Malinen (NIU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0, unfinished
6. Hugo Piles Ballester (OMAHA) def. Shao-Yu Yu (NIU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles 
1. Razvan Grigorescu/Davis Lawley (OMAHA) def. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 7-5
2. Abdoul Ouattara/Nathan Reekie (OMAHA) def. Mikko Malinen/Victor Spolidorio (NIU) 6-4
3. David Pata/Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Matt Dunn/Ethan Henry (OMAHA) 7-6 (7-4)

Match 2: Omaha 4, NIU 3
Singles 
1. Abdoul Ouattara (OMAHA) def. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3
2. Razvan Grigorescu (OMAHA) def. Eric Marbach (NIU) 6-1, 7-5
3. David Pata (NIU) def. Davis Lawley (OMAHA) 7-5, 6-3
4. Nathan Reekie (OMAHA) def. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
5. Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Matt Dunn (OMAHA) 7-6, 6-2
6. Hugo Piles Ballester (OMAHA) def. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) 6-4, 5-7, 7-5

Doubles 
1. Kristopher Ortega/Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Razvan Grigorescu/Davis Lawley (OMAHA) 6-4
2. Victor Spolidorio/Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Abdoul Ouattara/Nathan Reekie (OMAHA) 6-2
3. David Pata/Erich Schuette (NIU) def. Matt Dunn/Ethan Henry (OMAHA) 6-1