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

Box Score

KENOSHA, Wis. (Apr. 23, 2021) – Maintaining their spot atop the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings, the North Central College men's tennis team scored a tightly-contested 5-4 win over Carthage College on Friday at Smeds Tennis Courts to improve to 5-1 in conference play.
 
The Cardinals (9-5, 5-1 CCIW) had to come from behind as Carthage (7-6, 4-2 CCIW) took two of the three doubles positions, taking a 2-0 lead before Javier Suarez Balsera and Ramon Vilarroig Martinez earned a huge 8-3 win at the No. 2 position over Cooper Ferruzzi and Kevin Dunn avoid the sweep and cut the lead 2-1 heading into singles play.
 
Ferruzzi increased the Firebird lead 3-1 with a win at No. 4 to begin singles play, but Guillermo Gonzalez Fernandez took that point right back with a 6-0, 6-4 defeat of Matt Krzewinski at the No. 3 position.
 
Tying the score 3-3 was Vilarroig Martinez in a 6-1, 6-4 final over Nicolas Welker at the No. 2 position, before Suarez Balsera gave the Cardinals there first lead of the day, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Tripp Schulte atop the lineup.
 
At the No. 5 position, Morgan Red fought out a tight 7-6 first-set victory over Andre Antreassian, but faltered 3-6 in the second set to even the score.  In the third set, Red shook off the second-set loss to flip the switch and clinch the match win for the Cardinals with a 6-3 win.
 
North Central is currently tied atop the CCIW standings with Augustana College as the Cardinals have one match left in the regular season, traveling to Carroll University on Saturday, Apr. 24 with matches at Jean Kilgour-Trailblazer Tennis Center at 12 p.m.