Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
CHICAGO (March 1, 2026) – David Vilarroig Martinez and the North Central men's tennis program earned their second win of the weekend late last night at XS Tennis Center in Chicago against the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The Cardinals claimed the match 5-2, boosted by a fourth consecutive doubles victory and a 4-2 day in singles.
The second third doubles pairings for the Cardinals continued their hot runs, with those two pairings getting victories in their respective contests. Matt Crossland and Vilarroig Martinez stayed hot, as they evened the doubles score at 1-1 with their match victory after the Cardinals' top duo fell in their match. Crossland and Vilarroig Martinez took care of business in their match, winning 6-1.
Henry Ros and Andres Valverde Gonzalez won their sixth straight match as a duo, dominating their way to a 6-1 win to earn the Cardinals the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead.
Valverde Gonzalez carried that momentum into singles, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-3, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead from the third spot in the lineup. Rafael Lessa won his third straight singles match, defeating his opponent in a thrilling three-set contest, coming back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 1-0, winning the tiebreaker 10-6. Lessa's win gave North Central (3-5) its third point of the day, just one shy of clinching the win.
Philipp Wottgen got back on track in the top spot for the Cardinals in his singles matchup. He won the opening set 6-1, but dropped the second 7-6, forcing a third-set tiebreaker. In the first-to-ten tiebreaker, Wottgen pulled away from his opponent in the early going and never looked back, claiming it 10-2, and clinching the match for North Central with its fourth point.
Vilarroig Martinez added an extra point for good measure in his match in the sixth spot in the lineup, taking home a three-set victory. He won the first set 6-3 and dropped the second by the same score. In the tiebreaker, Vilarroig Martinez created just enough separation to win it 10-6, and to give North Central its fifth point.
Coach Joey Leto's team bounced back after a winless weekend last weekend (0-3), earning two victories over quality opponents, including an upset over No. 38 Wisconsin-Whitewater, and in the late hours of Saturday night over IIT (2-4).
North Central has the upcoming week off before it heads South for Spring Break to take part in four matches over three days, opening action on Monday, March 9, against Ohio Northern University at 1 p.m. at Sylvan Lake in Orlando, Fla.
