Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Apr. 18, 2021) – Improving to 3-1 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play, the North Central College men's tennis team handed Augustana College its first conference defeat of the season in a 6-3 final on Saturday, snapping a 15-match losing streak to the Vikings dating back to 2010.
 
North Central (7-5, 3-1 CCIW) got on the board first as Andy Hinch and Guillermo Gonzalez Fernandez teamed up to take down Peter Alex and Caio DeRezende, 8-2 at the No. 1 position.
 
At the No. 2 position, Ramon Vilarroig Martinez and Javier Suarez Balsera scored a 8-4 victory over Leonardo Panosso and Kyle Boudreau, before the Vikings (6-5, 4-1 CCIW) avoided the sweep by taking the No. 3 position.
 
Hinch then increased the Cardinal lead 3-1 with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles over Panosso, but Augustana was able to score a pair of wins at No. 2 and No. 1 to even the score at three.
 
Regaining the lead for North Central at the No. 3 spot was Vilarroig Martinez, fighting off Alvaro Leal, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, ahead of Morgan Red who clinched the match win with a hard fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-0 win over Eliot St. Paul at No. 5.
 
Capping the day with three consecutive wins, Steven Mears polished off Justin Cassens, 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 at the No. 6 position to end the afternoon.
 
Currently in a three-way tie atop the conference standings, North Central returns to action on Monday, Apr. 19, traveling to Elmhurst University with matches at 4 p.m. at Brune Tennis Courts.