Huskies Challenge Purdue Northwest in Tightly Contested Battle
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech men's tennis team faced Purdue University Northwest on Saturday in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest that went down to the wire at the Gates Tennis Center. Unfortunately, the Huskies came up just short in a 5-4 decision to the Pride.
"It was a very well-played match today by both programs and give credited to Purdue Northwest for being able to get the win," Michigan Tech Head Coach Kevin Kalinec said. "I'm really proud of the effort our team gave today. It was our best match of the season so far in doubles and we had solid performances in singles as well, especially in the number one, five, and six spots in the lineup. Our players battled hard and we look forward to getting back out on the court again tomorrow at home."
Michigan Tech (0-9, 0-5 GLIAC) jumped out to an early lead Saturday with a pair of points in the doubles portion of the match. Mario Neto and Ignacio Carbajosa teamed up to defeat Moritz Gisy and Mauricio Villacres of Purdue Northwest (7-7, 1-3 GLIAC) 8-4 in the No. 1 spot. It was Neto and Carbajosa's third team doubles win this season to pace the Huskies through nine matches.
Tech's second doubles point was produced by Juan Felipe Chica and Illiya Chibirev in the No. 3 spot in the lineup Saturday. The Huskies duo pulled away from the team of Carter Moldenhauer and Dru Kennedy of Purdue Northwest for an 8-2 decision, giving the Huskies a 2-1 edge in the match.
Neto continued his solid play in singles where he topped the Pride's Ulf Grosseloh 6-4, 7-6 in the No. 1 spot Saturday. Neto collected his second consecutive singles victory and his fifth overall on the season. It was also his second victory in number one singles this season. The Pride gained the lead 4-3 though with points in No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles with the final two spots still to be decided.
Illiya Chibirev stepped up big for the Huskies and tied the match 4-4 with a clutch victory in No. 6 singles. Chibirev outlasted Kennedy 6-4, 3-6, and 6-4 on his way to the win. In No. 5 singles, Felipe Chica rallied to take the second set 6-4 in his match with Mauricio Villacres and force a deciding third set. Felipe Chica stayed with Villacres step for step in the third, but Villacres was able to slip past for the win.
The Huskies will be back in the Gates Tennis Center on Sunday morning when they host Davenport for a GLIAC match beginning at 10 a.m.
Purdue University Northwest 5, Michigan Tech 4
Apr 07, 2018 at Houghton, Mich. (Gates Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Mario Neto (MTUM) def. Ulf Grosseloh (PNW) 6-4, 7-6
2. Moritz Gisy (PNW) def. Nico Caviglia (MTUM) 6-3, 6-3
3. Leon Kah (PNW) def. Ignacio Carbajosa (MTUM) 6-0, 6-1
4. Diego Pimentel (PNW) def. Simon Xiong (MTUM) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
5. Mauricio Villacres (PNW) def. Juan Felipe Chica (MTUM) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6. Illiya Chibirev (MTUM) def. Dru Kennedy (PNW) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Mario Neto/Ignacio Carbajosa (MTUM) def. Moritz Gisy/Mauricio Villacres (PNW) 8-4
2. Ulf Grosseloh/Leon Kah (PNW) def. Nico Caviglia/Simon Xiong (MTUM) 8-0
3. Juan Felipe Chica/Illiya Chibirev (MTUM) def. Carter Moldenhauer/Dru Kennedy (PNW) 8-2
Match Notes
Purdue University Northwest 7-7, 1-3 GLIAC
Michigan Tech 0-9, 0-5 GLIAC
T-5:00 A-24
