Mid-American Conference Tennis Week in Review: Week 5

The men’s division of MAC tennis is getting tight at the top as Buffalo and Western Michigan picked up big wins over the weekend. The women are also performing at a high level right now as every team in the conference currently has a winning record with Ball State leading the pack. It was also a weekend that saw record-setting performances as Bronco’s men’s head coach Dave Morin picked up his 300th victory in Kalamazoo and Nikki Chiricosta of Bowling Green’s women’s team tied the school record for most singles wins in a career.

Men’s Results:

Toledo (4-8): The Rockets had a big day on Friday as they defeated Wayne State 7-0 and Dayton 4-1. In those matches, Garrett Cona, Stjepan Sisko, and Nicki Wong each earned two singles victories while the doubles team of Cona and Sisko triumphed twice on the day. Toledo will get a nice tour of the state of Indiana this coming weekend as it will travel to face the Hoosiers on Friday and will take on Butler and IUPUI in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Ball State (4-2): The Cardinals will have to hit the road this weekend to take on Xavier on Wednesday and Notre Dame on Saturday.

Western Michigan (6-3): The Broncos won both of their matches at home on Friday as they beat IPFW 5-2 and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay 4-3. After being down 1-2 against the former team, the home team clinched the match and head coach Dave Morin’s 300th win as WMU coach (second most in program history) with a retirement on the side of the Mastodons and three-set victories by Jimmy Beckwith and Andrew Cahn. Western Michigan will wrap up its home stand this weekend as it hosts Xavier on Friday along with Iowa and Valparaiso on Saturday.

Northern Illinois (7-3): The Huskies got dropped 5-2 at Iowa on Friday but rebounded on Sunday with a 6-1 win over IUPUI at home. In the match against the Hawkeyes, the No. 37 ranked doubles team of Axel Lagerlof and Don Amir earned the lone double victory for NIU while Amir and Simon Formont accounted for their points in singles play. Northern Illinois will finish its current stretch of home matches with Butler on Thursday along with Western Illinois and Dayton on Saturday.

Buffalo (4-1): The No. 71 Bulls pulled off a dramatic comeback at home on Saturday as they emerged victorious against Duquesne 4-3. After being down 2-3 following three consecutive points from the visiting team, Jonathan Hannestad and Akhil Mehta downed their opponents in two sets to take the victory. Buffalo begins a nine-match road stand on Saturday when they take on Marist.

Women’s Results:

Eastern Michigan (6-5): The Eagles are in a bit of a rut as they dropped their third straight match on Saturday as they fell 1-6 against Illinois State after losing 2-5 at Nebraska on Friday. In the match against ISU, three of the five losses in singles were decided in two sets. Eastern Michigan will have time to regroup as they travel to take on Stetson on February 25.

Toledo (5-3): The Rockets broke over .500 this weekend as they downed IPFW 4-3 on Friday and crushed Bradley 6-1 on Saturday. With the score set at 3-3 in the thriller on Friday, Pia Rygh clinched the match in three sets after dropping the first 3-6. This week, Toledo will be heading to northeastern Ohio to square off against Cleveland State on Saturday.

Miami (5-2): The RedHawks dropped the second of their last three matches as they fell 1-4 at No. North Texas on Saturday, responded the following day with a 4-1 triumph over No. 75 SMU. Despite dropping the doubles point against the Mustangs, the Red and White were able to take all of the completed singles matches in two sets. Miami closes out its road stretch on Saturday when it faces Eastern Kentucky.

Northern Illinois (3-1): After not being in action this weekend, the Huskies will play again on Saturday when they travel to take on Bradley.

Akron (7-2): The Zips lost for the second time in three matches on Saturday as they were downed 2-5 at Youngstown State. The road team tried to mount a comeback after being down 0-3, but they couldn’t overcome a tough Penguin team with a short-handed lineup as Madison Cohen was out due to injury. Akron will head to the Pacific Northwest this weekend as they square off against Portland State on Friday and Oregon on Saturday.

Buffalo (4-1): The Bulls bounced both Duquesne and Niagara 7-0 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. In those matches, they won all of their singles matches in straight sets. Buffalo will have to hit the road on Saturday to take on West Virginia.

Western Michigan (8-2): The Broncos were impressive this weekend as they downed Illinois-Chicago 5-2 and Hillsdale 7-0 on Sunday. No.117 Kathleen Hawkins emerged victorious in both of her matches on the day for WMU. Western Michigan will look to have a B1G weekend as it hits the road to face Michigan State on Friday and Michigan on Saturday.

Bowling Green (4-1): The Falcons are continuing to compile wins as they defeated Cleveland State 6-1 on Friday. In the match, Nikki Chiricosta earned her 89th singles victory in two sets, which ties the program record set by her sister Christine. Bowling Green will make their way to southwestern Ohio to square off against Xavier on Friday and Cincinnati on Saturday.

Ball State (7-1): The Cardinals extended their winning streak to four matches on Saturday as they toppled Cincinnati 6-1 for their first win against the Bearcats in almost a decade. The following day, they downed IPFW 6-1 for their seventh straight win. On Saturday, Ball State will host Marquette and Dayton prior to hitting the road to take on Indiana.