Matt Crossland playing at the CCIW 2025 Fall Invite

Men's Tennis

North Central Men's Tennis Opens Season at CCIW Fall Invite

Contact: Rachel Balinao, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu

Results
 

KENOSHA, Wis. (Sept. 6, 2025) - The North Central College men's tennis team opened its 2025 season at the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) Fall Invite, hosted by Carthage College at Smeds Tennis Center.

In Flight No.1 singles, Phillip Wottgen and Andrews Valverde Gonzalez represented the Cardinals. Wottgen started strong with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over IWU before ultimately securing third place in the top flight.

Flight No. 2 included run from Paul Leandri and Rafeal Lessa. After dropping his opener to Jang (Wheaton), Leandri rebounded with a 6-2, 6-1 win over IWU to finish fifth. Lessa, meanwhile, captured the championship against Jang (Wheaton), clinching a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory.

Henry Ros and Jack Briggs competed in singles Flight No.3 for the Cardinals. Ros went on to win three straight matches, including a 6-3, 4-6, (10-8) victory over Okino (Carthage), to claim the championship. Briggs earned a hard-fought opening win 6-3, 6-7(7), (10-2) before falling in his second round to Foucheaux (Carthage).

Flight No.4 saw Matt Crossland bounce back from an opening loss to claim fifth place with back-to-back wins against Wheaton and Carroll. Crossland topped off with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Ehrlich (IWU). Teammate Rafael Miquel Isern advanced all the way to the final, defeating his first two opponents Ehrlich (IWU) 6-1,6-2 and Czonyka (Carthage) 6-2,6-4 in straight sets and before finishing runner-up to the Carthage Firebird, Pimenta.

Finally, in singles 
Flight No.5, Brandon Paasch and David Villaroig competed for the Cardinals. Paasch won his first match 6-0,6-0 against Tomecki (IWU), and went on to win his next match facing Hartman (IWU), 6-1,6-4 . Villaroig followed his teammate and won his first match 7-5,6-4 versus Carroll and won his next 6-1,4-6, (10-8) against Carthage. The Cardinal teammates then faced off in the championship round of Flight No.5 and Villaroig left with a 6-2,6-2 victory. 

In doubles action, Flight No.1, Gonzalez and Wottgen defeated IWU 8-2 before finishing third overall, while Lessa and Leandri beat Carthage 8-7(8). Flight No.2 doubles, saw Ros and Briggs take third with wins over IWU (8-4) and Carthage (8-6), and the pairing of Isern and Crossland secured seventh after topping IWU 8-5. In Flight No.3 doubles, Paasch and Villaroig teamed up for an 8-7(4) opening win and went on to finish third with an 8-6 victory over Wheaton.

North Central will continue its fall schedule when a select group of Cardinals competes at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Central Regional Tournament, held Sept. 26 at Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich.

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Players Mentioned

Matt Crossland

Matt Crossland

Junior
Henry Ros

Henry Ros

Sophomore
Rafael Miquel Isern

Rafael Miquel Isern

Freshman
Brandon Paasch

Brandon Paasch

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matt Crossland

Matt Crossland

Junior
Henry Ros

Henry Ros

Sophomore
Rafael Miquel Isern

Rafael Miquel Isern

Freshman
Brandon Paasch

Brandon Paasch

Freshman