January 20, 2018

TTU’s top of the lineup excels in narrow defeat to Northern Illinois

DES MOINES, Iowa – A packed punch at the top of the Tennessee Tech tennis team’s lineup was ultimately not enough in a neutral site meeting with Northern Illinois.

Team Stats

Game Statistics	Northern Illinois	Tennessee Tech
Score	4	3

Doubles

MARBACH, Eric / ORTEGA, Kristopher def. MENA, Eduardo / KUBOTA, Riku 7-6
LUNDKVIST, Georg / SCHWEIGER MUZAR, Bor def. ALFONZO, Jorge / GARCIA, Gonzalo 6-0
MILA, Marc / ALBIN, Wenceslao def. SPOLIDORIO, Victor / HJERTONSSON, Tom FINAL - UNFINISHED

Singles

MENA, Eduardo def. SCHWEIGER MUZAR, Bor 6-0 , 6-1
ALFONZO, Jorge def. MARBACH, Eric 6-3 , 6-4
ALBIN, Wenceslao def. LUNDKVIST, Georg 6-4 , 7-6
ORTEGA, Kristopher def. KUBOTA, Riku 6-3 , 6-0
HJERTONSSON, Tom def. GARCIA, Gonzalo 4-6 , 6-2 , 6-4
SPOLIDORIO, Victor def. JUSTO, Arthur 6-2 , 7-5

By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

DES MOINES, Iowa – A packed punch at the top of the Tennessee Tech tennis team's lineup was ultimately not enough in a neutral site meeting with Northern Illinois. The Golden Eagles checked the win column in each of the top three singles matchups, but found themselves on the wrong side of a barnburner with the Huskies (1-1), falling 4-3.

For the second-straight day, No. 28 Eduardo Mena secured a win in the No. 1 singles battle, knocking off Bor Schweiger, 6-0, 6-1, to move to 2-1 this spring. Jorge Alfonzo followed suit with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Eric Marbach in the No. 2 slot, and Wenceslao Albin continued the Golden Eagle trend of success at the top with a 6-4, 7-6 win against Georg Lundkvist in the No. 3 position.

Albin's triumph tied the overall match at 3-3, before Northern Illinois officially crossed the finish line with a Tom Hjertonsson 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 nod over Gonzalo Garcia in the No. 5 showdown.

The Huskies captured two other singles points over the Golden Eagles (0-3) with wins in the No. 4 and No. 6 matchups. Kristopher Ortega took down Rikue Kubota, 6-3, 6-0, in the No. 4 affair, while Victor Spolidorio powered past Arthur Justo, 6-2, 7-5, in the No. 6 slot.

NIU seized the doubles point, collecting wins in the top-two spots. The No. 1 tandem of Eric Marbach and Kristopher Ortega slipped past Eduardo Mena and Riku Kubota, 7-6, and Georg Lundkvist and Bor Schweiger Muzar defeated Jorge Alfonzo and Gonzalo Garcia, 6-0, in the No. 2 position.

The No.3 doubles battle pitting NIU's Victor Spolidorio and Tom Hjertonsson and TTU's Marc Mila and Wenceslao Albin did not finish with the score deadlocked at 6-6.

Tech will put the finishing touches in its three-match road swing in Des Moines with a Sunday morning tilt with Western Michigan. First serve from Roger Knapp Tennis Center will begin at 10 a.m. CT.

Singles

1. Eduardo Mena (TTU) def. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU), 6-0, 6-1

2. Jorge Alfonzo (TTU) def. Eric Marbach (NIU), 6-3, 6-4

3. Wenceslao Albin (TTU) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-4, 7-6

4. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Riku Kubota (TTU), 6-3, 6-0

5. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Gonzalo Garcia (TTU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

6. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Arthur Justo (TTU), 6-2, 7-5

Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 6, 3, 5

Doubles

1. Eric Marbach/Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Eduardo Mena/Riku Kubota (TTU), 7-6

2. Georg Lundkvist/Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Jorge Alfonzo/Gonzalo Garcia (TTU), 6-0

3. Victor Spolidorio/Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) vs. Marc Mila/Wenceslao Albin (TTU), 6-6 unfinished