KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team earned a 4-2 victory over Buffalo on Saturday afternoon in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals at the Sorensen Courts on the campus of Western Michigan. The victory propels the Huskies into the MAC Final against top-seed, and regular season champion, Western Michigan who defeated Ball State, 4-0, in Saturday's first semifinal. 

Buffalo (11-9) took the 1-0 lead after doubles play. The Bulls won the first match to finish as Villhelm Fridell and Nickolas Frisk earned a 6-4 win at number two. NIU pulled even as freshman Mikko Malinen (Malmo, Sweden) and sophomore Victor Spolidorio (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) scored a 6-3 victory at number one over Hao Sheng Koay and Ethan Nittolo as the doubles point came down to the match at number three. 

In the final doubles match, Matthew Johnson and Valdemar Holm slipped past senior Eric Marbach (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and sophomore Kristopher Ortega (Homer Glen, Ill./Seton Home Study School), 6-4, to give the point to the Bulls. 

NIU (13-11) evened the match, 1-1, as Spolidorio dropped just three games in winning at number six singles, 6-1, 6-2, over Simon Wibler in the first singles match to finish. The Huskies took a 2-1 lead when Malinen finished off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Johnson at number five. 

The Huskies were within a point of advancing to the final as junior Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) dispatched of Fridell, 6-4, 6-3, at number two. 

Buffalo won its first, and only, singles point at number three where Koay was a 7-5, 6-3 victor against freshman David Pata (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) to trim the NIU advantage overall to 3-2. 

Ortega ended any hopes of a Buffalo comeback however as he finished off a 6-4, 6-4 win against Frisk at number four, giving the Huskies a 4-2 win as NIU advanced to the final of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2013. 

The MAC Tournament Final is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 21 in Kalamazoo. The winner of the NIU-Western Michigan final will earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins on Friday, May 3. 

NIU 4, Buffalo 2

Singles 
1. Ethan Nittolo (UB) vs. Eric Marbach (NIU) 2-6, 6-3, unfinished
2. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Villhelm Fridell (UB) 6-4, 6-3
3. Hao Sheng Koay (UB) def. David Pata (NIU) 7-5, 6-3
4. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Nickolas Frisk (UB) 6-4, 6-4
5. Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Matthew Johnson (UB) 6-3, 6-4
6. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Simon Wibler (UB) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles 
1. Mikko Malinen/Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Hao Sheng Koay/Ethan Nittolo (UB) 6-3
2. Villhelm Fridell/Nickolas Frisk (UB) def. David Pata/Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) 6-4
3. Matthew Johnson/Valdemar Holm (UB) def. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) 6-4