BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team earned a pair of wins on Sunday, topping UMKC, 4-1, and Illinois State, 4-3. The two victories capped off a perfect 3-0 weekend for the Huskies as they improved to 4-4 on the season. 

"This was another tough weekend for us," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We talked all week leading up to this weekend about executing our individual game plans under pressure and taking calculated risks when the opportunities presented, and we did a better job of that this weekend. I'm proud of how our guys responded after such a rough start to the season, this team has a ton of character with fighting spirit and today the tougher team won. Hopefully this will give us confidence going forward."

NIU opened the day by defeating the Kangaroos of UMKC and took the doubles point to open the match. Senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and sophomore Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School) were victorious at number one, 6-4, while sophomore Victor Spolidorio (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) and freshman Mikko Malinen (Malmo, Sweden) earned a 6-2 win at number two.

In the singles, the Huskies swept the matches at four through six to clinch the victory. Junior Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) defeated Hunter Clark at number four, 7-5, 6-1. Malinen was winner in three sets over Anil Patel, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1, while Spolidorio earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at number six against Daniel Izadifar. 

The Huskies fell behind against Illinois State in the second match of the day, dropping the double point as the Redbirds took the 1-0 lead. 

Muzar and freshman David Pata (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) won the first two singles matches to finish, giving NIU a 2-1 lead over Illinois State. Muzar topped Pol Botifoll Ruis at number four, 6-3, 6-2, and Pata won a 6-4, 6-4 over Jorge Adair Bartra Quispa at number three. 

Illinois State took the next point with a win at number two before Marbach brought the Huskies within a point of the victory with a 6-4, 6-4 win at number one over Igor Kolaric. Spolidorio then outlasted Egehan Sertkaya at number six, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, to complete the weekend sweep for the Huskies. 

NIU will return to action on Saturday, February 9, when the Huskies host Wright State. 

NIU 4, UMKC 1

Singles
1. Tom Kruse (UMKC) led Eric Marbach (NIU) 7-5, 4-2 unfinished
2. Diego Giraldo (UMKC) led Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 3-6, 6-4, 2-1 unfinished
3. Ben Stride (UMKC) def. David Pata (NIU) 6-3, 7-6
4. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Hunter Clark (UMKC) 7-5, 6-1
5. Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Anil Patel (UMKC) 6-4, 0-6, 6-1
6. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Daniel Izadifar (UMKC) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Ben Stride/Diego Giraldo (UMKC), 6-4
2. Victor Spolidorio/Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Hunter Clark/Anil Patel (UMKC) 6-2
3. Tom Kruse/Daniel Izadifar (UMKC) def. David Pata/Shao-Yu Yu (NIU) 6-4

NIU 4, Illinois State 3

Singles
1. Eric Marbach (NIU) def. Igor Kolaric (ISU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Diego Le Gal Perez (ISU) def. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 6-3, 7-5
3. David Pata (NIU) def. Jorge Adair Bartra Quispa (ISU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Pol Botifoll Ruis (ISU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Aleksa Lazarevic (ISU) def. Mikko Malinen (NIU) 7-6, 2-6, 7-6
6. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Egehan Sertkaya (ISU) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3

Doubles
1. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) vs. Egehan Sertkaya/Aleksa Lazarevic (ISU) 5-5, unfinished
2. Igor Kolaric/Diego Le Gal Perez (ISU) def. Victor Spolidorio/Mikko Malinen (NIU) 6-3
3. Jorge Adair Bartra Quispa/Pol Botifoll Ruis (ISU) def. David Pata/Shao-Yu Yu (NIU) 7-5