DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team claimed all 11 points as they won a pair of matches against Cardinal Stritch on Sunday (Jan. 29) at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House. NIU won the first match, 7-0, before claiming the second, 4-0, to improve to 4-1 on the season. 

"It was a good day for the Huskies," said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. "We got a chance to work on a lot of things in our games, we dominated from the start, and we got better as the day went on. Now we have two weeks to get better and I can't wait, these guys have worked so hard good things are happening."

In the opening match of the day, Armin Koschtojan and Oliver Valentinsson were 6-1 winners at number two doubles while Christopher Knutson and Christopher Norlin won 6-2 at number three to take the first point of the day. 

NIU won five of the six singles matches in straight sets. Iker Gaztambide Arrastia had a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 victory over Danail Banov at number three and Mikael Vollbach scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Reuben Giorgio at number two. Valentinsson was victorious, 7-5, 6-3, over Daniel Vishnick at number one. 

Koschtojan and Knutson each needed first set tiebreaks to win their respective matches while Norlin outlasted Andres Mauricio Saavedra in a 10-point third set, 6-4, 4-6, 10-5. 

In the second match of the day, NIU once again took the doubles matches at two and three to clinch the opening point. Gaztambide Arrastia and Valentinsson won 6-3 at number two while Knutson and Guy Dagan earned a 6-2 win at number three. 

Koschtojan dropped just one game in his 6-1, 6-0 singles win over Mauricio Saavedra and Gaztambide Arrastia lost just three games in a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Giovanni Vitali. NIU clinched its second victory of the day when Knutson finished off a 7-5, 7-6 win against Daniel Ezcurra.

The Huskies will next be in action on Friday, Feb. 10, when they travel to Omaha, Neb., to meet Creighton. 

NIU 7, Cardinal Stritch 0

Singles 
1. Oliver Valentinsson (NIU) def. Daniel Vishnick (CS) 7-5, 6-3
2. Mikael Vollbach (NIU) def. Reuben Giorgio (CS) 6-3, 6-4
3. Iker Gaztambide Arrastia (NIU) def. Danail Banov (CS) 6-1, 6-4
4. Armin Koschtojan (NIU) def. Giovanni Vitali (CS) 7-6, 6-2
5. Christopher Norlin (NIU) def. Andres Mauricio Saavedra (CS) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
6. Christopher Knutson (NIU) def. Adrian Gomez (CS) 7-6, 6-3

Doubles 
1. Mikael Vollbach/Cheng En Tsai (NIU) vs. Daniel Vishnick/Jasper Schaadt (CS) 4-4, unfinished
2. Armin Koschtojan/Oliver Valentinsson (NIU) def. Danail Banov/Reuben Giorgio (CS) 6-1
3. Christopher Knutson/Christopher Norlin (NIU) def. Adrian Gomez/Daniel Ezcurra (CS) 6-2

NIU 4, Cardinal Stritch 0

Singles 
1. Daniel Vishnick (CS) vs. Mikael Vollbach (NIU) no result
2. Danail Banov (CS) vs. Cheng En Tsai (NIU) no result
3. Armin Koschtojan (NIU) def. Andres Mauricio Saavedra (CS) 6-1, 6-0
4. Iker Gaztambide Arrastia (NIU) def. Giovanni Vitali (CS) 6-3, 6-0
5. Guy Dagan (NIU) vs. Adrian Gomez (CS) 6-4, unfinished
6. Christopher Knutson (NIU) def. Daniel Ezcurra (CS) 7-5, 7-6

Doubles 
1. Cheng En Tsai/Mikael Vollbach (NIU) vs. Reuben Giorgio/Danail Banov (CS) 5-2, unfinished
2. Iker Gaztambide Arrastia/Oliver Valentinsson (NIU) def. Daniel Vishnick/Jasper Schaadt (CS) 6-3
3. Christopher Knutson/Guy Dagan (NIU) def. Adrian Gomez/Daniel Ezcurra (CS) 6-2