CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The IUPUI men's tennis team dropped a hard fought decision to Northern Kentucky (10-6, 4-1 HL) inside Five Seasons Sports Club on Saturday night (Apr. 6), 7-0. However, two of the singles matches were decided in three sets and two others saw first set tiebreakers go the way of the hosts.
IUPUI dropped to 8-14 overall and 2-3 in Horizon League play.
The Norse captured the doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles. At the top spot, Nick Nienhaus and Trevor Ball picked off
Kamil Kozerski 6-1 and
Noah Viste and
Will Thurin fall at No. 3, 6-4. Luke Rodic and
Steven Paz were locked in a 4-4 draw when doubles play was decided.
In singles play, NKU made quick work at No. 1 as Nienhaus defeated Kozerski 6-3, 6-1 and Brandon Ponomarew defeated Viste at No. 3, 6-1, 6-1.
The remaining four singles matches were nip-and-tuck, but all went to the hosts. The clinching point came at No. 4 as Tom Berry outlasted Rodic, 7-6 (5), 6-3 and Ball followed with a win over Jankowski at No. 5, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
With the match in hand, the other two singles matches went to third sets as Josef Zapletal defeated Paz at No. 2, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-2) and Santiago Casamayor rallied past
Eli Mercer, 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-3).
IUPUI will continue Horizon League play this weekend when the Jaguars play a pair of road matches. The Jaguars will take on Cleveland State on Saturday (Apr. 13) and Youngstown State on Sunday (Apr. 14).
