GRIFFITH, Ind. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team dropped a narrow, 4-3, decision to UIC on Friday afternoon (Jan. 31) at Match Point Tennis and Fitness Club. With the setback, the Huskies fall to 2-3 on the season. 

"Tough loss, we raced to a 3-0 lead, dominated doubles but we didn't finish," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We were waiting, watching and hoping the guy next to us did our job. On the bright side, Mikael (Vollbach) got his first collegiate win. He is going to be a great player for us."

NIU won the doubles point to open the match. Sophomore Mikko Malinen (Malmo, Sweden) and junior Victor Spolidorio (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) posted a 6-0 win at number two over William Wale and Luiz Dos Santos while senior Bor Schweiger Muzar (Crnomelj, Slovenia/Gimnm) and sophomore David Pata (Bucharest, Romania/Emil Racovita) scored a 6-2 victory over Johan Hedstrom and Kasper Parlklo to give the Huskies the first point of the day. 

In the singles, freshman Mikael Vollbach won the first match to finish, 6-4, 6-3, over Wale at number six and Spolidorio topped Dos Santos, 6-2, 6-3, at number five to give the Huskies a third point. 

UIC earned its first point of the match at number four where Anthony Nguyen defeated senior Shao-Yu Yu (Taipei, Taiwan/Jiang Guo High School), 6-2, 6-4. At number three, Pelle Strandberg was a 7-6, 6-4 winner over Malinen to give the Flames a second point. 

The matches at number one and two both went three sets, with UIC earning victories in both to take the match. Parlklo outlasted Pata at number two, 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, while Hedstrom came from behind to defeat Muzar, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

NIU will conclude its weekend on Saturday, February 1, when the Huskies face Valparaiso at 2 p.m. at the Courts of Northwest Indiana in Valparaiso, Ind. 

UIC 4, NIU 3

Singles
1. Johan Hedstrom (UIC) def. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU), 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
2. Kasper Parlklo (UIC) def. David Pata (NIU), 1-6, 7-5, 7-5
3. Pelle Strandberg (UIC) def. Mikko Malinen (NIU), 7-6, 6-4
4. Anthony Nguyen (UIC) def. Shao-Yu Yu (NIU), 6-2, 6-4
5. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Luis Dos Santos (UIC), 6-2, 6-3
6. Mikael Vollbach (NIU) def. William Wale (UIC), 6-4, 6-3

Doubles
1. Bor Schweiger Muzar/David Pata (NIU) def. Johan Hedstrom/Kasper Parlklo (UIC), 6-2
2. Mikko Malinen/Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. William Wale/Luiz Dos Santos (UIC), 6-0
3. Mikael Vollbach/Shao-Yu Yu (NIU) led Pelle Strandberg/Alvaro De La Fuente (UIC), 4-3 (unfinished)